


The Farland Files

by PurpleMango, RyuukTheHatter



Series: Things I Wrote When I Should Have Been Doing Literally Anything Else [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (sorta) - Freeform, Father Figures, Female Harry Potter, Fluff and Angst, Good Albus Dumbledore, Good Gellert Grindelwald, Harry Potter Has a Twin, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Tried, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lily Evans Potter Lives, Morally Ambiguous Character, Morally Grey Harry Potter, Multi, NaNoWriMo, Obsessive Tom Riddle, Orphanage, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Please Kill Me, Sane Tom Riddle, Smart Harry Potter, So Many Father Figures, Tom Riddle is a Sweetheart, Twins, Under the Influence of Horcruxes, Violence, Wrong Boy-Who-Lived (Harry Potter), she doesn't like repeating herself
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-01-23 19:23:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 57
Words: 221,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21325375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleMango/pseuds/PurpleMango, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyuukTheHatter/pseuds/RyuukTheHatter
Summary: Lord Voldemort stared at the cradle, blinking slowly in a way that some would compare to a reptile. There was not one, but two children where he had only been expecting one. Staring down at them, he lost his snake-like glamour and leaned forward. “Which one of you… is my supposed death?”OrAlbus Dumbledore’s warnings came to fruition.
Relationships: Daphne Greengrass/Theodore Nott, Draco Malfoy/Original Male Character(s), Fleur Delacour/Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter/Other(s), Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort
Series: Things I Wrote When I Should Have Been Doing Literally Anything Else [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1304639
Comments: 1836
Kudos: 3755





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a crack fic I was writing because I was bored and now... it has taken a life of its own and just kinda ran away while holding my lungs like some insane goblin child. So. Yeah.  
Here's my ongoing (very long) fic that I am going to try to get all finished by the end of this hell month.  
Welcome to the jungle.

James Potter couldn't breathe.

Looking up at him, from the arms of the nurse that had just been by his wife’s side, was an infant with big brown eyes. 

_ A baby boy. _

_ His baby boy. _

Sirius and Remus were there instantly to steady him and he looked at the nurse as if she was able to work miracles. “This-”

“Congratulations, Mr. Potter, you’re a father… Have you picked out a name?”

It itched his brain that the nurse hadn’t asked him when Lily was with him, as she’d had as much a hand in picking names… but he was too overwhelmed to start that discussion with the nurse, instead just smiling dopily. “Charles. Charles James Potter.” 

_ It was only by a bare inch (and respect to his parents) that Lily had accepted the tradition of naming their first-born after the parent of their gender. _

“Lily, she-... she’s okay?” Regaining his composure slightly, James reached out for the child, momentarily losing his train of thought at having this world-changing being in his arms. “... can I see my wife now?”

He could feel the smiles on Sirius and Remus’ faces, knowing he’d never live down having to be removed from Lily’s room during labor because of the panic he’d been in, but it didn’t even matter right now. He just wanted to see his wife and share this moment with her. 

“Mr. Potter…” 

It was the tone of voice more than anything that had him looking up with something like apprehension building in his gut. 

The nurse smiled, but it was strained. “Your second child is having complications and it would be in everyone’s best interest for you to stay out here.”

“My sec-” His brain whirled. 

_ Twins. He had twins. Lily was still in that white room while he was waiting out here, unknowing of anything that she was going through and- _

He felt Remus take the child from his arms and then he proceeded to faint.

Helena Ivy Potter was born almost 12 hours after her fraternal twin, Charles James Potter, and from there she only proved that she was vastly different from her twin. She cried substantially less, slept deeper, and seemed content to just watch everything with the big green eyes she’d inherited from her mother.

After first making sure that the little girl was in healthy condition, the two young parents dismissed it- sometimes babies, according to one of the doctors at St. Mungos, cried less because they were less sensitive.

And given they were trying to hide away and keep themselves sane during a time of war, Lily and James were slightly relieved that they could trust Helena to be somewhat independent. It wasn’t like they didn’t love her just as much as her brother- quite the opposite really- but with the stress of the times, it was nice to get a bit more sleep.

Then, Albus Dumbledore’s warnings came to fruition.

Lily was checking on the twins, as Helena had started crying and neither of them knew why, James downstairs making tea for them- when the wards fell with a sickening snapping sound that echoed through the night.

She heard her husband give a yell, but when she turned towards the door, she was greeted with a green light.

Hands trembling, she stood defiantly in front of her children, not about to leave them. Feeling her heart lurch when a man with eyes like blood and skin like a corpse stalked into the room slowly, she curled her hands into fists and stared down the Dark Lord.

“Move aside, Lily Potter.” The man’s voice was a terrible hiss. “You would be welcomed on my side, powerful witch you are, and I have no desire to spill more magical blood than needed.”

“Fuck off.” It was though the rage that settled in her gut, twisting and horrible- _ this man had killed her husband!- _that the words left her lips.

Sneering, the man raised his wand. “I think then… you will live long enough to know your child has died.” 

A red light and she fell to the floor.

Lord Voldemort stared at the cradle, blinking slowly in a way that some would compare to a reptile. There was not one, but two children where he had only been expecting one.

Staring down at them, he lost his snake-like glamour and leaned forward. “Which one of you… is my supposed death?”

One of the children continued to cry, but the other- with eyes like emeralds that sparkled slightly though the tears- blinked at him and fell silent. 

Voldemort smiled grimly, leveling his wand at the child. “You. You are the one.”

_ -Little did he know that these words would mark Helena Potter as the child of the prophecy, his actions leading to its self-fulfillment- _

The girl just gurgled and closed her small hand around the end of his wand.

“What- no- stop that. Let go of my wand, you insolent creature!” He tried to pull his wand away, but babies have exceptionally strong grips and it was like the child had just clamped down on the wand like a vice. Ignoring the babbling giggles, the Dark Lord narrowed his eyes, figuring that the child’s insistence wouldn’t change the curse. “AVADA-”

He didn’t feel the warmth when the child had touched his wand, and if he did, it was quickly (and foolishly) dismissed.

The green killing curse was getting sent through a wand that was being wielded from both sides, and since it had nowhere to go, the wand exploded in a crack of overwhelming power- the mix of both magics and the curse like a bomb detonating.

The warped green curse locked onto the target with the most magical power, but it only had enough power to kill the man’s body, not his soul, which was instead sent from the house. The blast of magic sent both children out of the wrecked cradle and as a stroke of fate, the roof collapsed onto the younger of the Potter children. 

A wave of accidental magic stopped the young girl from being crushed, creating a dome-like space of darkness, and Helena Potter then fell unconscious from the instinctive magic straining her core.

_ It was extremely rare for children under three to do accidental magic. _

So then, when Albus Dumbledore and Sirius Black found James Potter dead, Lily stunned, Charles Potter scraped up and crying… The elder headmaster used a spell to check for magic levels and when nothing came back but the slightly high levels that could be due to the curse magic…

Helena Potter was declared dead and Charlus Potter named ‘The Boy-Who-Lived’.

What _really_ happened was this: the house was abandoned by the group, mourning as they went to St. Mungos, and after the Aurors collected the snapped wand of the Dark Lord and his disfigured body, the muggle firefighters were let in to make their own conclusion to the events of the night.

Though they didn’t know of the family that had lived there, just that the house had been empty before a green light and a loud explosion.

It was then in the late hours of the night, that the fire chief heard the soft cries of a child, finding Helena Potter in the rubble. A small bracelet was found by the baby, it’s soft material ripped and when no relatives came forward to claim the child, she was sent to an orphanage with nothing but the part of the bracelet and a ripped onesie.

The Matron, a stern older woman looked at the Fire Chief that had accompanied the child. “What’s her name?”

“All she had with her was this, Miss Sutton.” The man held out the small strip of fabric.

All that was left of Helena, the name on the fabric bracelet that Remus had gotten these children, was _ -lena _.

“Lena.” The woman pronounced it like Lee-na, nodding. “Her name will be Lena.”


	2. How To Raise A Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catch me speed-writing to get up to where I need to be with the story~  
Enjoy!

“Mom?” The little boy with messy black hair and brown eyes tugged on the woman’s sleeve, his other hand held by a man with scars marring his face. “Mom- why don’t I have siblings?”

The woman froze mid-step, the eyes that had been bright and excited in the light of the summer day now dimmed, sinking to a knee in front of her son. “Charlie… you did have a sibling. A sister. But…” Glancing up at Remus, Lily swallowed thickly. “But Helena went away, just like daddy, and mommy doesn’t want to ever have that happen again.”

The boy frowned slightly as if he had to process this.

“Why don’t you go surprise Uncle Sirius, Charlie?”

Perking up once more, the boy nodded and bounded towards the Auror’s main area, most likely to attack his ‘Uncle’ with hugs and questions about the man’s day, the boy loved by the whole department.

Remus settled a hand on Lily’s shoulder, eyes sad. “It’s been three years, Lils...he deserved to know Helena existed.” The man drew her into a hug, closing his eyes against his grief. “I would give anything to not have you go through this, I hope you understand that.”

“Lils your child is a menace!” Their silence was broken by Sirius bounding over with Charlie giggling, sitting on the man’s shoulders and gripping the Auror’s long black hair tightly. “He just flirted with my boss!”

Remus released the woman, snorting softly. “Amelia?”

Charlie grinned. “She’s pretty! I like her hair!”

“See?! He’s going to be a heartbreaker, I know it!” 

Hitting Sirius’ shoulder, Lily Potter scowled. “Don’t you dare go rubbing off on my kid, Black.” When the man faked a wince and rubbed his shoulder, she rolled her eyes. “Come on then, let’s go see what Amelia’s doing to control our favorite mangy mutt.”

The offended noise left her with a smile, casting the thoughts of the daughter that would have been four from her mind.

St. Judes was, in Lena’s opinion, what someone lived though when they went to hell.

The younger children were okay, but the whole environment corrupted them with every growing year. There was limited food and clothes and other things like soap, leading to an intensely competitive and cruel environment that they were forced to adapt to.

Lena was quiet, preferring the quiet of the indoors to the loud games the others played, and could always be found with a book in hand. But that was all she got. Usually, she wasn’t fast enough to get much food or clothes that fit right, so she instead went for the books, which weren’t as sought after. 

She was short and small, with smooth skin that seemed to never have any flaws.

_‘Like a porcelain doll’_ the Matron would say with a smile that didn’t fit her face when the strange people asked about her, but her vivid green eyes that stared at the strangers blankly always seemed to drive people off.

“More people came to see me today.” Flipping the page of her book, she didn’t look up at where a man holding a paint can was painting in front of where she was sitting on the rickety steps, but she knew he was listening.

Jack Farland, the groundskeeper and ex-soldier (that had been here for way past anyone who knew how old he was) gave a noise to show he’d heard her. “And?”

Lena stopped pretending the children’s book interested her. “The man said I was pretty. The woman said that I ‘creeped her out’... Matron said that I was probably cursed and Greg tried to push me down the stairs.” She shifted her eyes to where the very boy was watching his other friends wrestle on the ground.

_ Heathens._

“What happened?”

“I broke his hand.” Lena’s voice was soft, the confession the barest of whispers. “One second I was trying to get him off me… and then his hand twisted. Matron blamed me.”

The hand was wrapped in plaster by now, the boy sitting out of his friend's playful brutality because of it, and she knew that eventually the boy would get even with her. One way or another.

The old man looked at her, pausing in his painting. “Did he start it?”

Frowning, she nodded slowly. 

“Then it’s his fault.” The man’s eyes were fond even if his face was twisted in a permanent scowl. “What’s the rule?”

Lena looked down at her book, wondering when she’d become the knight in the story instead of the princess. “We don’t start fights...” _ She could imagine herself holding a sword, facing down a dragon with the wizened man at her side. Though Jack would have a staff. He was wise enough to be one of those old wizards in her books. _Her eyes met the man’s and her grin was sharp. “But should it become a problem, then we’ll finish them.” 

Nodding in satisfaction, the grizzled man moved to hold out a paintbrush to her. “Come on then, kid. If you’re not burying your head in a book then you might as well help me out.” 

“Okay.” She took the brush without a single complaint.

Jack looked at her appraisingly. “I think it’s nigh time I teach you to play chess. I get the feeling you’d be wicked with just a bit of strategy in that brain of yours… did you go out yesterday?”

Nodding, she pulled two candy bars from her pocket, face blank. “Got these and some peppermint candies.” At his raised eyebrow, the corners of her lips twitched into a sardonic smile. “Peppermint oil can suppress hunger cravings. I read it in a book.”

“No child should know that.”

She snorted softly, pressing the candy bar into his hand. “No child should have to steal to eat something.”

It was not unusual to find Lena sucking on a peppermint candy and it was well known through the orphanage that if you touched her stash something bad would happen to you, so most of the kids just ignored it and pretended like they didn’t feel those piercing green eyes watching them.

If St. Jude’s was hell, then many silently agreed: Lena was the devil.

It was a week later that Greg got his revenge for his broken hand, the gang of boys shoving her into the small attic just as she was getting ready to go to bed.

Time seemed to stretch, every heartbeat seeming to last a thousand seconds, the walls dark and she felt like the air was slowly running out as if she was forgetting how to breathe.

Lena hated small dark spaces. 

She'd hated dark enclosed spaces ever since she'd been pushed into the lake, the dark water seemingly closing in around her and pulling her down. Luckily Jack had seen this happen and fished her out, but of this was born Lena's dislike of dark water and enclosed tight spaces.

When the door to the attic was finally opened, a soft beam of light cutting through the oppressive blackness of the cramped space, she was unresponsive and caught up in a delirious state of hyperventilation.

It was almost an hour and a half later when she came to her senses enough to look up at Jack, who seemed to always save her from the horrible things that happened. "I… was scared." It was obvious, she was sure, but the unsaid words were left hanging in the air. 

_ She was scared that no one cared enough to come find her. _

_ She was scared that she'd be in that attic forever. _

_ She was scared… of being forgotten. _

Jack pushed a hot cup of tea into her hands, the mug chipped and worn, but even if her hands were too unsteady to lift it to her lips she was grateful for the warmth. 

Grateful for the way her thumb could trace the cracked rim and remind her she was here. 

Solid. 

Alive.

"I expect you will pay those boys their respects?" The elder man's tone was stiff, unused to showing positive emotion, and she was sure if she was faced with needing to comfort someone she would be just as awkward. "They started it and you gave them a warning… now you have to show them you're not to be messed with."

Lena nodded, voice quiet. "Finish the fight."

A large hand, worn and calloused from both years and age, settled on top of her head. "You were strong. I'm proud of you… and I believe that one day you will do great things, Lena."

"I _ have _ to." The words were spat out, venomous, but not at him. She had to prove herself to the world. Show that she was more than just an orphan, just some child with no value except her pretty face. Looking up, she smiled something sharp and bloodthirsty. "And I _ will. _"

Three long weeks passed with no retaliation, the three bullies thinking that they got away with it...

Until Sam fell down the stairs, breaking his leg and his collarbone, Timothy had a tree branch crack and give him a nasty concussion out of nowhere, and Greg happened to get hit by a car while he was trying to retrieve the beat-up football he’d been playing with.

There was no proof that any of these were anything but an accident, but the whispers started up nonetheless.

And this time when Matron locked her in a small cupboard as ‘punishment for such evil acts’, Lena closed her eyes against the darkness and instead imagined the slight smile Jack had given her when it was announced that all three of the boys would recover without any complications. 

The point was not to harm, but to send a clear message.

_ Lena found the darkness to be a little less suffocating this time around… because wasn’t the darkness where all the broken and twisted things hid? _

“Charlie, it’s time to come in sweetie!”

The boy laughed, ignoring his mother as he flew around the clearing, loving the way his hair was played with by the wind. Looping and swerving around the older Weasley twins that had gotten permission to come early and fly with him, he knew that his mom was going to make him land soon, but wanted to stay up in the air as long as possible.

“Charles Potter get your tiny butt down here! It’s time for presents!” 

Hearing Uncle Sirius’ voice, he turned, smiling at the twins who joined him in landing. “Presents?”

The man with the shaggy black hair and grey-blue eyes grinned at his mom, who just rolled her eyes. “Come on pup! Everyone’s here and waiting for you- even Amelia and Susan showed up!”

“I _ don’t _like her!” He flushed slightly, having gotten teased since he was young about ‘flirting with the head of the DMLE’, but when the man only laughed he huffed. Storing his broom, he tugged at the twins. “Come on! Presents!”

Charlie gaped at the number of wrapped gifts sitting on the dining table of the Potter Manor, but was quickly distracted by his friends. Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Susan, Hannah all greeted him with hugs before the attention was on his mom, who was passing out slices of cake. 

Many of the gifts were from people who were still in awe of his title as ‘The Boy-Who-Lived’ and though the thought made him slightly uncomfortable, he knew it was rude to not accept gifts. Though it was his friends and family’s gifts that always meant the most to him. His uncles had given him a new broom and a book on simple prank spells (that had his mom frowning). Even Dumbledore, a family friend and the Headmaster of Hogwarts, had given him the invisibility cloak his father had lent the older man, along with a chocolate frog.

The last present was a small box from his mom, who smiled, even though she looked a bit sad. “Go on. Open it.”

Doing so, he found a small book, and upon opening it found a picture of a woman with red hair and a man with messy black hair and glasses, holding two small children. “This- this is...” He looked at the moving picture, eyes on the small baby in his mother’s arms. The man who he guessed was his father was holding him, laughing and sometimes throwing him up in the air to the frown on his mother’s face in the picture… but the little girl, her eyes were bright like emeralds- brighter than his mother’s- and he blinked when the little girl moved to wave at him clumsily.

“That’s the only picture we have of… of your dad and sister.”

Charlie looked up to find his mom holding hands with his Uncles tightly, a wobbly smile on her face. 

The table was silent, knowing better than to interrupt the moment. 

He gave his mother a wide smile. “Thanks mom. It’s my_ favorite _.”

Then he was being drawn into a tight hug by his family, thanking his lucky stars he had his mom and uncles by his side.

Lena looked at the object in her hands quizzically. The old man had tossed the silvery object at her, before moving a white pawn and starting a chess game like it didn’t mean anything. “What-… what is this?”

“A medical bracelet.” Its chain was shiny on one side from the oil of his skin, the outside dulled and slightly tarnished. “It tells people my name and medical information in case I have an accident.”

She moved a black piece, studying the man. “You’re giving this to me. Why?”

The man leveled her with a stern look but she didn’t even flinch, knowing that he didn’t really have any other expression. “Do I have to have a motive?”

“Yes.”

Snorting, the man shrugged lazily. “Matron mentioned that your birthday might be around this time and this is my gift to you. You’re officially a Farland now kid.”

“I don’t want it.” She held it out, trying to hide her frown. When the man stared at her, she finally broke and gave into telling him why she didn’t dare accept it. “Without it, you might die. You’re not allowed to do that.” _ Not to me. Not ever. _

Wizened face breaking into a grim smile at her words, the man pushed her hand away from him. “It’s rude to refuse gifts.”

“It’s _rude _to die on people you promised to be there for. Plus, I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

“I’m not taking it back kid.”

Lena glared at the man, who looked unaffected by her poisonous eyes, though he was the only one she knew who was. Finally with a deep sigh as if it was a burden the man had forced upon her, she slipped the chain on her thin wrist. “If you die I’m pawning it.”

The old soldier grinned, seeming to be reassured by their usual banter and mean prods. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Huffing, she settled into playing the game, hand coming to fiddle with the bracelet on her wrist when she was thinking. 

_ Her first present. _

And when she turned nine and the old groundskeeper died in his sleep, she didn’t even blink, pawning the bracelet without a single guilt- even if she did steal the man’s dog tags to keep for herself.

_ Many would blame her for being without feelings- and even if that was mostly correct for guilt and remorse and sympathy (which she found to be tiresome)- that didn’t mean she didn’t miss the old man. _

Unlike the celebration happening in the Potter Manor when Charles Potter got his Hogwarts letter, another letter was being delivered, this one by a kindly herbology teacher.

Professor Sprout eyed the orphanage, her heart weeping just a bit at the rundown conditions, but she knocked on the door nonetheless. Wearing the one muggle dress she had, she put on her best smile for the woman who answered the door. “I’m here to talk to one…” She glanced at the letter in her hands. “Lena Farland?”

The woman pursed her lips. “Who are you?”

“I’m Professor Sprout, a teacher at a boarding school for special kids. I’m here to offer Miss Farland a place in-”

“Right. Right. Should’a known that little freak’s got something like this. LENA!” Leaving the door open, the woman strode to a set of stairs. “LENA! Come down here!”

Walking in and shutting the door behind her, Pomona had to hide her displeasure for the woman’s behavior, looking up the stairs. A small girl, dwarfed by the baggy clothes she was wearing with hair like ink slowly drifted down the stairs with an unusual grace as if her feet didn't even touch the ground, before fixing eyes that seemed to shine like the killing curse on the woman. “Matron. Must you yell? You’re going to lose your voicescreeching like that.”

It was an oddly phrased remark, but the way the woman seemed to pale slightly made even less sense. The 'Matron' quickly looked to her with a grimace of a smile. “Professor Sprout. Meet Lena.” Then as if nervous, the woman nodded. “You can talk. I’m going to check on lunch.”

The girl watched the woman walk away before turning her piercing eyes on Pomona as if weighing her soul. “A professor?”

“Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” 

“You’re not joking.” The girl didn’t phrase it as a question, looking her over. “Then you can do the things I can?... Prove it.”

Feeling as if she already knew the house of this girl was going to be sorted into, she drew her wand and flicked it, casting a charm on the girl that braided her hair back neatly. Not paying attention to the narrowed eyes or the slight flinch the child gave, she took out the girl's Hogwarts letter. “You’re being offered a scholarship by the school that includes tuition, basic school supplies, and a few extra books.”

“I can go alone to get them if you tell me where to go.” The girl then prompted her to describe how to get to Diagon Alley, Gringotts, and Kings Cross before looking at Pomona for a long moment. “Anything else?”

“N- not that I can think of?” Professor Sprout blinked, not expecting an eleven-year-old to act so… removed.

"Good day then." And without another word, the odd child glided out of the room, the white letter clutched tightly in her hands.

“I am leaving for the day to go see about this scholarship.” Lena didn’t ask questions, as she thought they were usually a waste of time, and Matron seemed to know this.

“Be back by curfew.” The woman glared at her, but she didn’t do anything but nod.

_ If she did something, it would not be pretty, and she didn’t feel like going to jail at the moment. _

Lena was used to the streets of London, having snuck out more than enough times, and with her talent for going unnoticed and slipping through the crowds she acquired more than enough money for a croissant at a small bakery. Looking at the ‘Leaky Cauldron’, Lena nibbled at her croissant and then let herself in, glancing around and making her way to the bar, she waited patiently for the man to turn around.

When he did, he startled just a bit at seeing her watching him, but gave a friendly smile. “Can I help you, little miss? Where are your parents?”

“Dead, I assume.” She waved the letter she'd been given. “Can you show me to the alley?”

Blinking at her response, the man nodded, wiping his hands on a dishtowel and waving her into a back room. Not noticing the way she had put the letter away and was ready for anything, tensed, the man tapped a couple of bricks with a stick-like object. “Remember this pattern and when you get your wand you’ll be able to come through here whenever without asking for an adult.”

Relaxing just a bit when the wall started to move, she watched an archway form, hoping that she could find a book on how that happened so she could make the door to her room something like that. _Imagine, a solid brick wall to keep those foul cretins out of her space... _Dipping her head to the man, she walked into the busy alley, soaking in the environment and studying everything from the way people dressed to the stalls that were littered around.

Looking at the section of her letter that included a list of things she needed, she headed for the building that the Professor told her was the bank. Stopping to read the warning carved into the marble face of the leaning building, she nodded to the guards outside the building and made her way into the building slowly to go stand in front of a teller.

_ Goblins. _

_ Go figure. _

Keeping the fascination off her face, she smiled sharply- _ the one smile she was good at _\- at the goblin teller. “I have a scholarship from Hogwarts under the name Lena Farland and need to withdraw money for my school supplies.”

“Farland?” The goblin’s eyes narrowed on her. 

Lena didn’t say another word, instead taking out the dog tags from her shirt.

Seeming to frown, the goblin held out a stone. “Press those to this.”

Doing as she was told, she watched the stone turn green with curiosity burning in her veins.

The goblin nodded. “Lena Farland. You have a yearly stipend from Hogwarts for your scholarship, as well as a vault left to you from Jackson Farland.”

“Jack?” She finally let her surprise break her blank mask, even if it was just by the widening of her eyes. “What does Jack have to do with a magical bank?”

“Jackson Farland was one of the wizards that worked with the dragons in World War 1. He was well known, if just for being a regular face around. Some of the older folk knew him because he was the Head Auror almost thirty years ago.” The goblin’s eyes gleamed with amusement when she blinked slowly at that and she made a mental note to find a book on these ‘Aurors’. “His files show he received a pension from the war and put away half of his galleons each month to a vault that he opened a few years ago, with the restrictions that the young girl that came in would have one of his personal items to open his vaults... He also left you a notebook.” There was a thunk, a metal box appearing on the desk, and the goblin took out a thin leather journal.

Lena huffed and gently took the worn notebook from the goblin. _ Sounded like Jack, always keeping secrets and making plans. _“How do I take money out?”

A drawstring bag was set down before her. “This is a money pouch linked to both your accounts. Think of the amount and the account you wish to take it from, and it will give you it. You can also put important things like that notebook in it and draw them out by thinking of them.”

“I will need to know about the exchange rates and the amount of money I have, please. And then is there a way to make this pouch more secure?” By the look in the goblin’s eyes, she had said the right thing and passed some sort of expectation for herself.

By the time she got out of the bank with a new magic-linked money pouch, she knew about the exchange rates and that she had enough money from Jack alone to pay for Hogwarts. But she got the feeling that the goblin wouldn’t tell on her if she didn’t mention that to the school and kept her scholarship for now.

_One could never have too much money or too many books, especially when going into a whole new culture unprepared._

Making her way to a shop that was recommended for trunks, she ignored the few other families in the store for the sake of studying the different kinds of trunks, fiddling with one to find out that it opened to four different compartments. One with bookshelves, one that sort of looked like a wardrobe, one with shelves that felt as if it gave off cool air, and one that was empty.

“Oh, you’re looking at our four compartment trunk! Good choice! It has a compartment for storing books, potions and ingredients, clothes, and a safe compartment with wards that will keep even You-Know-Who out!” A man seemed to pop up near her, a slimy salesman smile sliding over his face.

“What is included?” She knew there should be more to the man's pitch, but didn’t exactly know how to ask anything specific, as she knew little to nothing about what _should _be included.

The man smiled as if it was a good question though. “It has built-in featherlight charms, shrinking charms, and password protection as well as protection from any type of weather. The potion compartment has charms to keep the ingredients fresh and the bookshelves automatically organize themselves alphabetically by title.” Leaning in, he pointed to four small silver button things that she’d found were the catalyst to change what appeared in the trunk. “You can set passwords for each compartment and the design of the outside is changeable.”

“How much?” 

With a wide smile, knowing he’d pretty much sold the trunk, the man stood up straight again. “Sixty-three galleons.” Then he seemed to study her. “You have parents around here somewhere?”

Drawing the money from her Hogwarts vault, she held up the smaller pouch that it came out as. “Does it matter?”

Seeing the man’s internal war, she let her lips quirk up when he took the pouch. “Good doing business with you.” Lena put the trunk she’d shrunken into her pocket and nodded, walking out and ignoring the eyes of the man watching her leave. 

Shopping went much the same, getting the basic school supplies with her Hogwarts money, using her other money to grab some books (Read: a whole bunch of books, so she wouldn’t get bored) and an extra potion kit that caught her gaze. Luckily she found a book store that seemed like a second-hand shop down the darker alley to the side of Gringotts, ignoring the stares she got.

After that, she stopped in a small shop that was suggested by the man in the bookshop for her robes.

“What can I help you with dearie?”

Lena stared at the woman in the clothes shop, worrying her lip for just a second. “Hogwarts robes… and a full wardrobe.” She figured that Jack wouldn’t mind her buying some fitting clothes for herself, but then frowned. “With charms to make them grow as I do.” She’d heard someone else mention those in passing, hoping the woman had them.

“Of course, dear. If you could hop up on this platform and hold still for me…” The woman flicked her wand, Lena’s jaw clenching just a bit until it did nothing but make a tape measure come alive and start to wrap around her as she held still. 

The woman left her, greeting a few other people and before long a boy with dark skin and eyes like amethysts moved smoothly to stand on the platform beside her, holding as still as he could while the tape measure did its work. He glanced her way, but even though she had studied him in the mirror as he’d passed, she didn’t look over. 

“How do you stand so still?”

_ It’s a product of being taught that moving gets you beaten. _

Kicking her dark thoughts in the throat, she let her eyes slide to the boy out of the corner of his eyes. “How do you fidget so much?”

The boy grinned. “I’m impatient and hate shopping.”

“I guess that means I’m more patient than you.”

The boy seemed to study her, waiting until both of their tape measures were done, before turning and holding out his hand. “Blaise Zabini, House of Zabini.”

Looking at him, from his nice robes and shiny shoes to his styled hair and curious eyes, she clasped his hand. “Lena Farland. Demon of St. Judes.” Then with a sharp grin at the boy’s furrowed brows, she pulled back and moved to the counter, finalizing her purchase. Sending only a glance to where ‘Blaise’ and a woman with the same dark skin and eyes were talking softly and watching her, she took her bags and left.

_ Next on her list? A wand- because apparently the Wizarding World all wanted to look like fairy godmothers._

_Honestly. Just get a staff. At least you could still whack someone with it. W_ _hat was she going to do with a wand? Poke someone's eye out?"_

Looking around the cluttered shop, she moved to put her clothing bags into her trunk, and when she turned around she was met by a man with white hair that seemed determined to stand up like he was some mad scientist. The man was staring at her, eyes questioning.

“Hello. Are you Mr. Ollivander?”

“I am.” The man tilted his head. “...I have a ward around this building that tells me the name of whoever enters… but no eleven-year-old has ever prompted the wards to give me _ two _names before.”

Lena matched his head tilt, but her eyes were hard. “My name is Lena Farland. Any other name is a mistake.”

_ Any other name was probably her birth name- but that didn’t matter to her in the slightest. _

_ She had not been that child since she was given the name of ‘Lena’. _

_ She didn’t have any family except Jack anymore. _

Nodding slowly, the man waved his wand, seeming to notice her flinch but not saying anything as a tape measure sprung into being. “Dominant hand?”

_ The next person to point a weapon at her she was going to take as a threat and just attack, swear to god… _

“Either.” She stared at the man. “I’m ambidextrous.” 

_ To her defense, she’d been bored most of her childhood. _

“Hold up your arms, if you will.” Her arm span was measured, along with each individual arm. Muttering to himself, the man disappeared in the shelves, emerging with multiple boxes a moment later. Handing her a wand, the man looked at her critically. “Give it a flick then.”

Doing so, she found the window behind her cracked.

After another wand broke the nearby lamp, the next causing a deep gouge in the desk nearby, Ollivander’s eyes widened and he muttered something about ‘not light wand woods then’, moving off to the back again. 

The bell above the door rang as a lanky boy with dark hair walked in with an older man following him. The older man glanced at her, before sneering slightly and looking away, but the boy only held curiosity in his eyes. 

“Theodore Nott. Lord Nott. It’s been a while.” Ollivander stepped out of the back once again, carrying more boxes than before. “If you could give me a second, it seems I have a bit of a tricky customer.”

“If it’s that complicated then I will come back.” The man glared at her as if it was her fault the damn pieces of wood didn't like her. “Theodore. Stay here.” Then, with his robes fanning out behind him that made her wonder if he had a fan attached to his butt, the elder man left.

Snorting softly, she turned back to the wand-maker, continuing the process of slowly demolishing the shop with every wand that she picked up. Though it seemed to make the wandmaker more and more excited.

Finally, she sighed and dug out her dog tags to keep herself from spitting venomous words at the old man in irritation, but stilled when he locked wide eyes on them. Lena tilted her head. “Let me guess… you knew Jack too?” 

“Jackson Farland- Blackthorn wood with a Ukranian Ironbelly heartstring, fitting of his later job taming dragons to fight in the war… You are the girl he often talked of? From the orphanage?”

Lena tilted her head. “Depends. What did the old man have to say about me?”

Ollivander looked at her for a long second, as if deciding what to tell her. “He used to say you were a brilliant and beautiful child with a heart of stone and a cruel streak a mile wide. That you loved chess because you won every time, even if you had to sacrifice every piece to do so.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“What-...” The man looked at her with hesitant eyes. “What did you do with his bracelet?”

She raised an eyebrow. “He told you about that, did he? My first birthday gift...” Lena smiled sharply as if daring the man to judge her. “I pawned it, just like I told him I would.”

Humming, the man moved back to the shelves, before emerging with a single box. 

Taking the short bone-white wand from the man, she felt a rush of warmth go through her, flicking the wand and watching in amusement as all the destruction she’d created was righted again. 

The bell on the door rang, but neither of them moved, Ollivander watching her closely. “Yew with one of the only cores of magical ice that I’ve ever successfully made. Ten inches, more than a bit stiff… Made especially for someone who will do whatever they want and could care less about the consequences.”

“Are those words from you or Jack?” She gave the man a crooked half-smile, then shook her head. “Nevermind. I don’t care either way. How much do I owe you?”

“All I want is a promise you’ll never point that wand in my direction.” 

Chuckling, she nodded. “Very well. Say hello to the old man, as I’m sure you’ll see him before I do.” Then she turned on her heel, looking blankly at where Blaise and his mother figure had joined the man that was the other boy’s father figure, the group watching her. “Excuse me.” 

“Lena.”

She paused at the door. 

“Jack loved you like a father.”

Scoffing softly, she pushed her way out the door without a word, stopping once more to get a wand holster before heading back to the orphanage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing this duality of the twin's childhood, as I think it makes it clear how different they are... also Lena's internal thoughts are always fun to write ^-^  
A wand with a core of ice... I wonder if that says something about Lena? *winks exaggeratedly*


	3. How To Befriend Ghosts And Singing Hats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think if I met my brother after being raised apart I would probably hate him.  
Though then again, I did kinda ruin his life with my existence, so he would probably be /vastly/ different than he is now. Perhaps more anti-social? Or would he actually interact with people without having the draw-back of a demon-child of a younger sibling?  
...this is giving me a headache thinking about.  
Have fun reading the chapter. I need hot chocolate.

Charlie smiled at the man with the slightly greasy hair. “Are you here to see mom?”

Sneering deeply, dark eyes seemed to dismiss the boy, sliding up to meet where Uncle Remus had come to the door. “Lupin. I came to give you your batch of wolfsbane for the next six months, not meet the _ celebrity _.”

“Severus, please-”

The man’s eyes glinted dangerously, shoving the potions at Charlie’s uncle. “I have work to do. I’ll be back in six months.”

Charlie watched the man disappear once a good distance from the Manor. He looked up at his uncle, eyes wide and questioning. “He doesn’t like me much…” Before the man could respond to that, he looked back to the place the man had been. “Who was he?”

“That was Severus Snape, your mother’s childhood best friend, the schoolyard rival of your father… and your sister’s godfather.” Lupin’s eyes were sad, just like how all the adults got when his younger sister was mentioned. “He’s- well- he’s always thought that Helena didn’t die that day, but with no proof and the years passing by without any sign that she’s alive… He and your mom had a pretty big fight when you were young about it and now he only comes around to drop off my potions.”

_ That sounded sad, waiting for someone who wouldn’t ever show up… _

His uncle guided him inside, closing the door. “Come on Charlie, Siri will be back soon, and you should get your room cleaned by then or your mom won’t let him take you for ice cream.”

Nodding, Charlie ran for his room, but as he did he promised himself not to get mad at Snape even if the man was mean to him-

Because grieving didn’t make him a bad person, it just made it harder for him to be happy.

Lena made sure to set aside plenty of time to get to King’s Cross, rising earlier than the rest of the kids and getting out her trunk from where she’d hid it, leaving a note for Matron before starting down the streets of London.

The hazy morning was slow to get up, the sun cresting the buildings just as she got to the train station, warming her skin for only a second before she was ducking inside. Glad that the Herbology Professor had given her a detailed explanation on how to get to the magical platform, Lena looked around the empty Platform 9 ¾ and sat down on a bench, pulling out Jack’s notebook. 

Bound with nice black leather, she’d found that though the book was only half full, it was marked up with little tips and tricks about the inner workings of the Wizarding World as well as spells that were not commonly taught. She was fascinated with the writing, but as the very first page had been about ‘the trace’ and how it worked, she hadn’t been in an area magical enough to actually be able to practice any of the spells from the thick textbooks that Jack had recommended she read before going to Hogwarts.

Though now, alone in the magical train station…

Drawing her wand from the wrist holster she’d gotten from a small shop in the alley not long after Jack’s note had recommended it for ease of access and defense, she pointed it at a mouse that she saw moving around a nearby pillar looking for food crumbs.

Transfiguration- according to the stilted handwriting that hurt her heart to look at- was all about visualization, seeing one thing literally become the next. But the writing had warned (several times) that nothing transfigured was permanent.

So she focused on the rat and imagined Matron’s fluffy feather pillow in every detail she could, before muttering the spell in the notebook. “_ Commutationem. _” The latin word that Jack had written meaning ‘exchange’ slipped off her tongue, a rush of warmth moving down her arm and she grinned as the rat disappeared only to be replaced by a fluffy pillow.

_ She could almost hear the shriek Matron would have given and it sounded like sweet victory in her head. _

“Look at that!”

Lena looked up, blinking when she saw a group of people watching her. There was the lanky boy with brown hair and curious eyes and the man with him who frowned far too much, but with them were a family of blondes, the father-looking-figure looking at her with far too intense a stare for her to trust him. Putting the journal away, she took the pillow and put it behind her back to make the bench more comfortable, ignoring the group in trade for a book she’d gotten at the second-hand bookstore.

The light footfalls of a single person moved towards her, matched by a cane’s rhythmic tapping. “A book on the History of Hogwarts… third edition.” The blonde man’s voice sounded amused. “I am assuming you do not know, but editions one through eight are illegal to possess. So where did you get that?”

“Where did you bleach your hair? Because whoever did _ that _should be illegal.” Lena didn’t look up, voice sarcastic and cutting.

A stunned silence later and the man sounded much more offended when he spoke again. “You would be rude to a stranger wishing to make sure you don’t get arrested? I am only trying to _ help _.”

Lena let her eyes meet him in the blank stare that she knew could unnerve anyone remotely sane. “Your advice has been taken under consideration, but not accepted, so I don’t owe you anything, Mr. Blond. As for my book, your words are not convincing me that this society is any better than the muggle one, as the only people that ban books are the ones trying to hide horrendous acts of history or trying to oppress their people.” Staring each other down, a whistle blew, a train pulling into the station. Standing smoothly, she tucked her book and pillow into her trunk before shrinking it and tucking it into her pocket. 

“Who _ are _you?”

Narrowing her eyes at the man, she glanced to where a familiar boy and woman along with a few other families were coming into the station. “I’m no one, Mr. Blond. Just a girl along for the ride because an old man left me with a dying wish.” With a sharp smile, she turned and moved to step onto the train.

Wandering the corridors of the ‘Hogwarts Express’, she found a compartment towards the back but not directly at the end, taking out her history book and then looking at it for a long second before switching it out for a more mundane book on magical plants.

“I feel like if I sit down, you’ll curse me for existing… or is that just your resting expression?” The boy that sort of reminded her of a beanpole stood at the door, eyes shining with that same curiosity she’d seen in his eyes the day at the wand shop.

Lena shrugged. “Do what you please. I can’t control you… yet.”

Blinking, the boy grinned and sat down across from her, holding out his hand. “Theodore Nott.”

“Lena Farland.” She looked at his hand, before sighing and taking it, shaking it lightly. 

“You have small hands.” The boy looked at her with his head tilted as if studying her. “Are you a first-year? You look only 7 or 8.” Sending him an unamused look, the boy backed off, taking a book from his own trunk and opening it, before glancing back up. “If you get done with that one history book… can I read it too?”

Looking down at her book, she nodded slightly. “If you make sure that no one interrupts my reading.”

“Deal.” Theo grinned.

Halfway through the train ride, Blaize (the boy from the robe shop), the blonde boy (Dra-something), and two dumb-looking lumps of flesh invaded her compartment, but thankfully Theo kept to his word and no questions were posed her way- though she could feel their eyes on where she was sitting curled up in the corner of the train compartment.

Realizing that reading was hopeless, she marked her page and then tuned in to the conversation around her. 

“-even met Charles Potter, though he’s _much_ less of a Gryffindor than my father thought. He shook my hand, even though it’s common knowledge that his godfather and my father don’t get along at all.” The blonde was prattling on, nose held high, but the other boys still looked curious about what he was saying despite his snobbish attitude. “I’m glad that he hasn’t got a big head, what with being the Boy-Who-Lived, or I would have to hex him.”

Lena blinked. “Boy-Who-Lived through _ what _?”

The boys turned to stare at her. 

“You’re a _ muggle-born _... aren’t you?” She could see the blonde’s lip curl just a bit.

“If you mean that my parents are dead and I live in an orphanage with non-magical idiots, then yes.” She looked at them blankly. “Either way- why would a kid our age be famous?”

Looking between themselves, Blaise leaned forward with a slight grin tilting his lips, apparently okay with telling her what sounded like an entertaining (Read: scientifically improbable) story. “There was a Dark Lord- the most powerful one in the last century- and when he went to kill Charles Potter after breaking through the wards on the house, he was _ killed _ . By a _ baby _. Everyone says that Potter’s going to be the most powerful wizard of our age, though the attack wasn’t without loss, as his father and sister were killed.”

Theo leaned back in his seat. “Though lots of people say it’s just a fluke, because Potter isn’t anything special- he had the same accidental magic as everyone and his only special talent is flying.”

“Accidental magic… is doing something on accident without a wand?” Lena thought of breaking Greg’s hand when she was six, then of the way she had regrown all her hair that another kid had cut off overnight when she was three. “When... when exactly is that usual?”

“I turned Pansy Parkinson's hair pink when I was five.” The blonde boy puffed his chest up.

Blaise nodded. “I made my clothes all dresses when I was six.”

Theo looked at the violet-eyed boy incredulously. “Why?”

“My mother was getting remarried.” The darker-skinned boy shrugged, but there seemed to be an unsaid story there.

Nodding, as if that answer made complete sense, the thin boy looked to her. “I was five when I did my first accidental magic.” Again there seemed to be a story behind that, but the haunted look in the boy’s eyes made her wary of asking. 

Everyone had their demons.

_ And she didn’t care enough to find out what his were at the moment. _

“What was your first accidental magic?” Blaise looked at her curiously.

Getting the sense that their magical accidents were around the age that it was normal, she pursed her lips. “When I was six, I broke the hand of a boy trying to push me down the stairs.”

_ And then I made sure that they all remembered why I was not to be trifled with when they tried to take their revenge. _

The boys gaped at her.

She just took a peppermint candy from her pocket and popped it in her mouth, cursing herself for not remembering to steal some food before she’d left the orphanage. Turning, she looked out the window and watched the scenery pass.

Charlie moved through the crowd to the front, beaming at the large man at the front with the lantern with a wide smile. “Hagrid!”

The Hogwarts groundskeeper beamed down at him. “Charlie! Yur mum told me you’d be comin’ this year! Said to look on out for you- so yur always welcome down at my hut if need be!” 

The tall man then started to lead them away, Charlie waving at Ron and Neville excitedly to follow him.

They were led to a shore with a bunch of boats, Hagrid stopping and looking out at them. “Four to a boat here! Four to a boat!”

Looking around, he let Neville go with Susan and Hannah, smiling when a girl he had met when she’d helped Neville find Trevor moved to his boat. “Hey, Hermione!” Another girl, this one smaller and with hair that fell like ink moved to sit in their boat, ignoring them for the sake of the thick book she was holding in her delicate doll-like hands. He glanced to Ron, who shrugged.

“I’m Hermione.” The bushy-haired girl held out her hand to the new girl. “I didn’t see that book on the school list- it looks cool though… _ Most Dangerous Magical Plants _… Is that something you’re interested in?”

Looking up, the dim light catching on two bright green eyes and making them gleam for a brief second as if the girl's pupils were made of emerald fire, the girl smiled wolfishly with her teeth seeming almost _sharp _for a moment, making him think of Uncle Sirius when the man was talking about the First-Wizarding War. “I’m interested in the practical application, yes.”

Hermione looked at them, seeming lost, before turning back to the girl. “And your name?”

“Lena.” The answer was clipped, the girl moving to put something in her mouth, not raising her eyes from her book again.

“What classes are you excited for Hermione?” Charles decided to give the girl a break from Hermione’s questions and when the bushy-haired girl went on a rant to him and Ron about classes, two green eyes caught his, the quiet girl nodding at him slightly.

He smiled, then turned to listen to Hermione, as it was the polite thing to do.

Lena decided that wizards were annoying.

Their school… was a castle. Their form of transportation were boats that moved by themselves and carriages pulled by skeleton horses, the paintings moved, there were ghosts, and the ceiling had floating candles that didn’t drip wax.

Extra.

Wizards were super extra.

Lena stayed at the back of her group, silent and watching the others, as she was used to doing. Jack had taught her that it was better to stay silent and observe things around you if you didn’t know what to do, and this counted as such a situation.

Her eyes drifted from the older students separated in groups, remembering that she’d never really gotten an explanation for the houses, and then she looked to the head table. There was Professor Sprout, her pudgy too-wide smile standing out in the group of stern Professors.

“-ena Farland!”

Blinking, she wove her way through the crowd, strolling up to where a stern-looking woman in emerald robes was holding a hat by a stool. Sitting down, she looked out at the crowd, wondering if she should have paid more attention to what the hat was doing- when it was put on her head.

_ “Hello. You go by… ‘Lena’, do you not? I am the sorting hat.” _

Resisting her urge to grin, she dug out a peppermint and popped it in her mouth, thinking her words clearly and hoping the hat could understand her. _ “Hello. You must be that hat." _

_ "Indeed." _

She gave something akin to a mental nod, before asking what she should have someone before being sat on the stool. _"Mr._ _ Hat… Can you explain to me why I am here, why you are on my head, and how you can read my mind?” _

_ “I can indeed, as I see you haven’t gotten anyone else to explain these things.” _ The hat seemed to sound grumpy at this. _ “You are here because you will be sorted into one of four houses, based on what you ideal most. These houses were made by the founders and will become like a family to you while you are at Hogwarts. The house of red and gold to your right is Gryffindor, the house of the brave and courageous. The house next to them in the yellow and black is Hufflepuff, the house of the kind and loyal. Then after them is Ravenclaw, the house of the knowledge-seeking and the curious. And finally, Slytherin, the house of the cunning and ambitious.” _

Nodding slightly, she looked around the room, judging the way that each house was separated and how they would possibly treat her. Hufflepuff seemed to be the most inclusive, with Slytherin next, whereas Ravenclaw and Gryffindor seemed to be forming groups. 

Groups she would be most likely outcast to.

Pushing that thought aside, she let the corner of her lip quirk up. _ “You said you would answer all my questions, sir, and that was not all of them. How can you read my mind?” _

The hat seemed to chuckle dryly. _ “Young lady, I am a hat made by Rowena Ravenclaw herself, who was deemed to be the smartest witch of England’s history. A child’s mind is nothing to me.” _

_ “Can other people see into my mind?” _She tilted her head just a bit.

_ “Wondering about your secrets? They are safe with me, as I am not allowed to tell anyone what I see, but to other more practiced wizards like the Headmaster... your mind would be an open book.” _ As if feeling the way her hands clenched, nails digging into her palms, the hat sighed. _ “Do not fret child. No one would use Ligitamancy on a minor, as it’s illegal, but if you are so worried I would look into the mind magics- starting with occlumency.” _

Sucking on her candy, willing her panic back into its iron cage, she licked her lips softly to try focus once more. _ “So? What is your verdict on my house, Mr. Hat?” _

The hat hummed. _ “I cannot fully decide… so I ask you this: would you rather be respected… or worshiped?” _

Lena snorted. _ “I would like to fulfill Jack’s last wish. The rest will happen as it does.” _

_ “Very well then, my dear. It was interesting. I will be sorting you into… _SLYTHERIN!”

Guessing the sorting was over, she stood and took the hat off, nodding to it before making her way to the table of green and silver. Sitting at the end of the table, she dug out Jack’s notebook and flipped to where she’d started to make a list of things to do or remember, making a note about ‘Occlumency’.

Stowing it away, she decided to go back to her book on plants, hoping they served dinner soon as she hadn’t eaten all day.

When everyone was finally sitting, the seats around her unsurprisingly having been filled by the boys who had been on the train, she half-listened to the old Headmaster say something about ‘forbidden forests’ and ‘on pain of death’.

But her attention was pulled back to the present when the table was suddenly laden with food- some that she’d only heard others talk about on the streets of London. 

“Hey, Farland.”

Looking up at where Theo was leaning across the table, she quirked an eyebrow at him as if to ask what he wanted before starting to put a reasonable amount of food- she didn’t feel like getting sick- on her plate.

The boy seemed to take this as an okay to talk to her, dark eyes watching her closely and she could feel the others around them listening too. “You spent quite a lot of time under the sorting hat… The longest Hatstall in a couple of years and the first mudblood in Slytherin for even longer.”

Taking into note the word that was surely a slur, she looked up at him blankly. Though the kid himself didn’t seem malicious, it was the air around the table that had her thinking that this was much like the Orphanage and that she was the one everyone else had identified as the runt of the litter, hence the rude behavior that the others were expected to show her. “Good for me then, as it seems I’ve been stuck with the bigots.”

“What-... what did you say to me?”

“I don’t repeat myself.” She narrowed her eyes, stabbing a piece of chicken viciously and smiling grimly when the boy paled slightly. “Now unless you lot can prove to me that you have more than the brains of a common fruit fly, please stay out of my face, less I lose my temper and shove my foot so far up your arse you see _ stars _.”

Theo leaned away from her, something like fear in his eyes, and she could see the others around her leaning away slightly too. The boy nodded jerkily.

Nodding, she set about eating, glad that with her horrendously low blood sugar and the constant whirlwind of the day that she’d been able to keep most of her temper thus far.

_ Threats didn't count. _

_ Plus, that wasn't even her usual caliber of threat. _

At the end of the meal- having eaten more in one sitting than ever before- she lazily followed the others, hands in her pockets as she tried to map the castle in her mind. Committing the password to the Common Room to memory, she let herself admire the room that she was led into.

Tinted a light green light that washed over the room from large windows, shadows clung to the edges of the room, though some of them kept at bay by the fires that were roaring in twin marble fireplace on either side of the room. An elegant staircase lead up to a higher level, seeming to split into two sections and the rest of the lower floor was furnished in comfortable-looking sofas and armchairs. 

The older kids watched them from where they were all laying out on the sofas and lingering around the room.

“Welcome to Slytherin.” The male Prefect that had led them there stepped forward. “You are now part of the esteemed house of Salazar Slytherin and it would be in your best interest to make this house proud, as you will not be able to leave for seven years. There are only five rules: One- house unity comes before all things and since as a house you will be looked down upon by most of the other houses, we must present a united front. Two- any in-house conflicts must be dealt with in-house. Duels or bickering outside the common room will lead to punishments. Three- don’t get caught. Even if you do something, as long as you don’t get caught then we don’t care. Four- deals made in-house are binding. Five- no means _ no _.”

A few of the older kids snickered, but Lena just wrinkled her nose, not appreciating the way some of the older boys were grinning. 

_ Disgusting. _

The Prefect seemed to have the same thought, casting a glare over the room and making it fall silent once more. “Our Head of House, Professor Snape has a few rules of his own.”

“Indeed.” Sweeping out from one of the bigger areas of shadow, a man in black robes that billowed as he walked moved to look down at them from his slightly hooked nose. “Meals are mandatory unless you are sick or you have a very good excuse… keep your living spaces clean, as none of us are your maids, and finally, Slytherin is a family and family-”

The man’s eyes met hers, his body stilling as if he'd had a stroke and his words cut off.

With his eyes still locked on her, he pointed at her sharply, the others moving hastily to get out of the way. “You. What’s your name. Your _ full _name.” 

Looking blankly at the man, she shrugged. “I don’t know.”

His eyes were sharp, moving to stand in front of her, dark eyes peering down at her and she felt something itching in her head. “What do you _ mean _‘you do not know’?”

“Reading my mind won’t tell you anything if I’m telling the truth Professor. I don’t know, nor do I honestly care for my birth name, but I was given the name Lena and that is what I go by.” Watching the man step back, something unreadable in his eyes, she tilted her head. “Or you could just call me by one of my many other titles. I’ve acquired many over the years. ‘Hell Spawn’ is my personal favorite though.”

Watching her as she watched him right back, they both refused to look away.

“Sir?”

Tearing his eyes away from her, the man practically snarled at the Prefect. “Get the brats in line.” Then the man swept over to a door, slamming it behind him as he went, the sound echoing around the room that slowly turned to all look at her.

_ It seemed like fulfilling Jack’s wish of being great was going to take more effort than she thought. _

The rooms were shared, much like the orphanage, so she ignored the dark-haired girl complaining about rooming with her (only her name was replaced with that same slur) and just made sure her things were safely in her trunk before climbing into bed and closing her eyes.

_ How exhausting. _

Lena’s method of ignoring the muttered whispers continued with renewed energy in the morning, eating as much as she could without making herself sick, silently taking her schedule from the Professor who wouldn’t look at her and then stood from the table as her plate was clean. She carefully tucked the toast she’d wrapped in her napkin into her bag, ignoring the stares, and started to move from the table.

Only, a hand caught her robes, Blaise frowning at her, with his voice a whisper. “House unity. We travel together.”

“I’ll be fine.” She smiled, a broken and bloody thing she’d created trying to mimic the other girls in the orphanage. “I can take care of myself.” 

Glad the boy let her go of her easily enough, she slowly made her way out, determined to map as much of the castle in her mind as she could before her first class. Talking to the portraits and getting information for her mental map, she turned to face a translucent man in bloodstained clothes. Looking at him critically, she remembered a note from her book on the school’s history and nodded to the man respectfully. “Bloody Baron, I assume? How’s the woman you murdered?”

Narrowing his eyes at her, the ghost drifted closer as if to study her, before deciding she looked sincere and smiling thinly. “Dead.”

“I would hope so.” Lena snorted. “You are Slytherin’s ghost, as I’ve heard… so can you tell me what a ‘mudblood’ is? I was raised in an orphanage and don’t know why blood would matter to the idiots in my house.”

Instead of looking offended, the ghost just hummed. “I suppose that it stems from a fear of change. The so-called ‘muggle-born’ witches and wizards come into the wizarding world and then try to change everything according to what they know, without paying heed to the already established culture… though do not listen to those who tell you blood makes a wizard, as both Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor were sired by muggles.” The ghost looked to her. “Where are you headed, Snakeling?”

Lena pulled out her schedule. “Uh... Transfiguration. With Professor McGonagall?”

“Ah. Be careful with her, Snakeling. She is a Gryffindor through and through, and the rivalry still runs strong. But as long as you listen and keep her words in mind, you will do fine.”

She let her lips quirk up into a rare half-smile. “I’m good at listening.”

The ghost’s eyes seemed to smile at her grimly even if his mouth was a thin line, the same way Jack used to do. “I can see that. It is a useful trait. Now I will tell you more about the castle, as you were asking the portraits, so keep listening closely. There are many secret passages to be found by the willing to listen...”

Enjoying the walk to transfiguration, she was taking notes in Jack’s notebook about the different secret passages, marking down the one that the Baron had just told her about a slide and the specific times it opened when she walked into the classroom.

“Miss Farland! You are late!”

“Professor McGonagall.” The Baron frowned, drifting to her side. “The Snakeling was waylaid by many questions and I happily answered them as I guided her here, as no one else seems to have been helping her.”

The woman looked a bit taken aback at the ghost’s presence, but Lena ignored it, turning to the Baron with a respectful nod. “I might have more questions for you yet, Baron. Thank you for helping me to understand my place in this new world to me better, I will remember that, and should you ever need anything I will consider offering a favor in the future.”

“You are too kind, Snakeling, for one who is cursed at by their own house.” The Baron bowed slightly. “Blood means nothing if there is no power to back it up. Remember that.”

Lena watched the Baron drift away, before turning to face the teacher. “I am late. Apologies.” Then she moved to sit in the only empty seat- by the blonde Slytherin girl who she shared a dorm with.

“The Baron said you are having trouble with… being cursed by your own house, Miss Farland?”

Taking out her wand, she twirled it through her fingers, looking up at the woman blankly. “I can neither confirm nor deny that hesitant question, Professor. But it is nothing I cannot end swiftly if I must be forced to.”

The woman stared at her, before shaking her head slightly and putting an item down in front of her. “If you can transform this matchstick into a needle during this class period, I will overlook you being late. If not, I will have to take house points.”

Knowing an ultimatum when she saw one, Lena visualized a shiny silver needle in her head, taking a few minutes to make sure every little detail was as it needed to be before leveling her wand at the matchstick and flicking it sharply. Watching as the matchstick turned into a shiny needle, she nodded to herself and went to pull out her book on dangerous plants, wanting to read more on the section of flesh-eating plants she was on at the moment.

“Miss Farland, that does not mean do something else and ignor-” The woman blinked at where the needle sat on her desk. “Can... can you transfigure your needle back for me?” 

Imagining the matchstick, she flicked her wand, looking at the woman when her matchstick appeared. “It’s easier than the switching spell, but feels weaker to cast, so I’d rather read about my man-eating plants if you don’t mind.”

McGonagall looked at her, eyes seeming to be alarmed in the way they widened. “A- a switching spell?”

Looking back to the match and picturing the chalice on the woman’s desk, she flicked her wand. “_ Commutationem. _” The chalice appeared before her, the matchstick moving to the other desk. “More warm and tingly than the other. More fun too, but still- it’s mostly just being able to use your imagination... and I’d rather save that for man-eating plants.” 

“Miss Farland, that is a _fifth-year spell_… where did you learn such a thing and when did you use it before?”

“I learned it from my dead guardian and I wanted a pillow.” Looking up at the woman, she raised an eyebrow. “Man-eating plants are like every child’s worst nightmare, Professor. Are you going to deprive me of reading the in-depth details of how and why they exist? Because I would very much prefer to think of the magical word in terms of man-eating plants and dragons than bigots and children with no imagination.”

The woman’s lips quirked slightly, studying Lena for a long moment before nodding her head. “Very well. Go on and research how to make your nightmares worse.”

She nodded, opening her book.

“And Miss Farland?”

Lena looked up, finger marking her place.

“Fifteen points to Slytherin for both a beautiful needle and the excellent use of a fifth-year spell.” 

Giving the woman one of her rare half-smiles that were becoming more and more frequent, she dipped her head and then went back to reading, aware that half the class was glaring at her outright and the other half was glaring when the others weren’t looking.

_ Maybe she should have chosen Ravenclaw. _

_ She was already fighting a slowly losing battle with her irritation and it was only the first day of class, for God's sake... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering, Jack pretty much gave her a list of textbooks that are basically cheat-sheets that Aurors use in their training. However without stumbling over the normal-level textbooks first and getting her brain mixed up with pointless long incantations, Lena pretty much learned that all spells boiled down to sheer willpower /first/, and as you probably saw, she has a lot of that :)  
Also, Charlie and Lena will be pretty OOC because they're kinda the canon Harry Potter split into two people (Charlie got sorted into Hufflepuff in case anyone cared)  
Other than that, I have this picture in my head of this friendly boy made of sunshine and goodness and love in his boat with two of his friends and smiling like the sun at this thin waif of a girl that seems to almost be wrapped in the darkness, her eyes gleaming in the torch-light as she tries to figure out why this boy was smiling at her like she was anything special...  
Hope you liked it!


	4. How To Make A (almost) Grown Man Cry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: violence, sadistic behavior (Lena makes it clear she's not to be messed with)  
Yes, she is the equivalent of a young Tom Riddle at the moment, but with more time she will develop into her own flawed person :) gimme a few days ^-^ I'm speed-writing as fast as I can

Herbology had seen her across from the boy that had saved her from the annoying girl on the boat, who was wearing cheery yellow robes to match the smile he sent her way. Hearing the whispers as she mechanically worked with potting the strange plant in front of her, she watched the boy who seemed to be struggling slightly from out of the corner of her field of vision. 

_ So this was the so-called ‘Boy-Who-Lived’... the defeater of a Dark Lord. _

Leaning forward, she put her hands over his to still his awkward shoving movement. Catching his eyes, she silently showed him how to dig a hole in the soil appropriate for the flower-like plant, then guiding him to take the soil and fill in the surrounding area and a little over the top. “It is a living thing. It cannot be shoved in the ground, it needs a proper burial- except plants prefer to be buried alive.” 

The boy snickered slightly (to her surprise) and then held out one of his dirt-stained hands. “Charles Potter.”

“Lena Farland.” Taking his hand, feeling as if her nerves were on fire as she did, she tried not to let it show, shaking his hand and then quickly taking her hand back. 

_ People did not touch her often and she was not used to pleasant human contact.  _

“How do you know so much about plants Lena? You’re really good at that!”

_ How bright a personality- this boy’s smile was practically blinding. _

Scowling to offset the  _ sunshine _ directed her way, she looked back to her plant, pulling off the dead leaves and making sure it had water. “The man I considered my guardian was the caretaker at the orphanage, so I helped him out with a few odd jobs every now and then... Every summer the Matron ordered new flowers to try to lure idiots into adopting, but every winter they’d die and we’d have to plant them again.” 

Looking up at the boy, knowing that her blank mask was slipping a bit, she found she didn’t care all- that much as there was something almost  _ comforting  _ about this boy's presence. 

“...so I got some seeds for lavender bushes, which come up every year without fail, knowing Matron hates bees. It’s quite funny. She refuses to come outside practically all summer and in turn, the kids get to do errands outside the orphanage... which she would _never_ have allowed before the bees.”

Charles smiled at her. “Sounds like a good cause then.”

Lena nodded, blank mask coming back. “I do like bees.”

Giggling as if she had made a joke, the boy smiled at her. “And the woman? The Matron? Do you like her as much as the bees?” 

“I would rather cover her in honey and lock her outside,” Lena smirked, “Now  _ that  _ would be a good cause.”

Professor Sprout ambled over, smiling down at Charles proudly. “Good job, Mr. Potter! And here I thought your mom said you weren’t that good at Herbology?!”

The boy blushed lightly. “Lena helped me, Professor. It’s really her achievement.”

Meeting the woman’s eyes head-on, she waited for some type of discrimination, but was instead met with a bright smile that had her wanting to blink so she could clear the sunspots from her eyes. 

“Miss Farland, I'm glad to see you making friends! Ten points to Slytherin for helping Mr. Potter.”

“My gratitude, Professor Sprout.” She dipped her head, wondering if getting house points was really so easy, and if so then why her classmates (the Slytherins at least) were glaring at her. 

However before her thoughts could consume her, the boy next to Charles then introduced himself as Neville and she was pulled into a conversation about the book she had on the table next to her, the shyer boy seeming disgusted and yet fascinated when she went into a tangent about using man-eating plants to help eat the muggles that were trying to cut down the rainforests.

Lena Farland was… strange.

If Charlie had to pick a way to describe her it would be ‘chaotic neutral’, as she had some strange and fascinating thoughts- but even if they were sometimes a bit dangerous or bloody (Read: man-eating plants), they were always viewed from a logical standpoint of doing something for a fairly good reason. He also noticed that unlike the Slytherins that his Uncles didn’t like, she said what was on her mind and didn’t lie if asked a straightforward question.

But it also seemed like she was…  _ tired _ .

Like some of the Aurors Uncle Siri knew who had seen too many horrible things, she held a solid presence and didn’t lie, but the look in her eyes was one of damning the consequences before they happened. Only it wasn't in a Gryffindor way- it was in the way that she was expecting the worst and if it turned out to be okay she’d be pleasantly surprised.

His mind was stuck in his thoughts on the way to lunch and when he sat down next to Neville and Susan, he sought out the sight of the smaller girl across the hall. His eyes found her at the very end of the Slytherin table, reading quietly and eating without even trying to be included at her House table.

Susan leaned over to him, having probably seen who he was looking at. “Oh, that’s that muggle-born, right? I heard from Ron, who’s in transfiguration with her, that she’s being cursed by the older Slytherins  _ and  _ she did a fifth-year spell and- and she’s friends with the  _ Bloody Baron _ !” 

“She kind of scares me...” Hannah muttered softly as if the girl would hear and then jump across the Ravenclaw table to attack her or something. “Her eyes… they’re really unnerving.”

Terry Boot nodded from next to Hannah. “I heard that her first accidental magic was breaking the hand of a kid in her orphanage.”

Without thinking about it, Charles stood, feeling something like indignation prickling in his throat. He marched purposefully to the Slytherin table, cursing his Gryffindor genes when halfway through his trek the whole hall went silent to follow his path. “L- Lena?”

“You don’t have to save me or anything. I can deal with the whispers myself.” The girl’s smile up at him was a bit too cruel for her delicate face, as if she was mimicking something she’d seen in a nightmare, and he swallowed thickly as she continued in that composed tone. “I’m just waiting for the first person to pick a fight with me.”

He didn't exactly know what to say to that, so he just said what he'd been planning to. “Sit with me. At Hufflepuff. Or- or I can sit next to you if you want.”

Something flashed across the girl’s face, before it went blank again, as if she was some dead-eyed porcelain doll. “Go back to your table of sunshine and rainbows, little badger. Turn away now, before the snakes rip you apart.” Emerald eyes shined, seeming to glow for the barest of seconds. “Save consorting with vipers to spaces you are protected.” 

Looking at the odd girl, he clenched his fists and then beat back his Gryffindor side that wanted to damn the consequences and sit down, instead nodding stiffly. “Fine. But you’re always welcome to eat with me, if you need.”

“Always is a loaded word. Do you mean just this year or all seven years?”

Charlie smiled teasingly. “I mean that the offer is like your Lavender plants. It’ll come back every year until the end.”

“And it’s positively _infested_ in bees.” 

The laugh was startled out of him, not expecting her retort, and he caught sight of a small but real smile cresting her lips. With a nod of his head and a smile that wouldn't leave his lips, he moved back to his table feeling lighter, because he’d done what he could for the green-eyed girl.

_ Why did that seem to matter so much to him? _

Charms went about as well as could be, considering it was also a subject reliant mostly on  _ wanting  _ something to happen while making sure to visualize it. 

And floating objects were not something Lena was unfamiliar with imagining when she found herself shoved in some dark space at the orphanage, though it was usually  _ her  _ she was imagining floating through the open air.

So she made a paper airplane with a piece of notebook paper (spiral-bound, not Jack's notebook) and set about making it do flips and maneuvers through the air, winking across the room when a red-haired boy was gaping at her plane in awe.

"Excellent work, Miss Farland- though I would expect nothing less of Jackson's daughter!"

_ Ah.  _

_ There went her plane- crashing and burning up in a blaze of jet fuel too fast for any passengers to escape their fiery demise. _

Looking up, she tried to contain both her indignation ( _ did  _ ** _everyone_ ** _ know Jack was a wizard but her? _ ) and surprise. "You knew Jack, sir?"

The small man- who she suspected was half goblin- nodded with a cheery smile that no full goblin could pull off, even under the influence of heavy morphine. "Jackson was a good friend and a  _ master  _ in dueling! He was Head Auror for ten years for a reason _and_ one of the only ones to resign fully intact!"

"I think... you're mistaken. I'm not his daughter." She unconsciously clutched at the dog tags around her neck. "I'm an orphan, sir. Jack was just the man who taught me chess and plant flowers."

"Remind me not to play you in chess then." Flitwick chuckled. "Though what is a father if not someone to teach you to play chess and plant flowers?"

Feeling a bit unsteady, she nodded as if she understood and instead pulled out her book so she could comfort herself with reading about poisons, imagining each of the effects happening to Matron as she read.

Switching books for Defense Against the Dark Arts, she sat down at the front, interested to learn how to actually do things with her wand instead of just her will. But she found herself more disappointed by this class than any of her other classes when Quirrel turned out to be some bumbling fool, and turned to her book instead of listening to him. 

Wand dancing through her fingers in a way that she'd done with pencils before in public school, she read over the section on casting defensive spells, curiously leveling her wand at an empty area of air next to her desk. 

Muttering, " _ Protego _ ," under her breath, she watched a faint silvery shimmer crest the air before disappearing.

"Miss Farland… what are you doing?"

Lena looked up to meet the eyes of the surprisingly-not-stuttering professor, blinking slowly. "Testing a spell?"

The man looked at her as if she was doing something like skinning a cat, his eyes seeming to gain a sort of red sheen to them as he stared at her. "The shielding charm is a fifth-year spell, sometimes even sixth. Your magical core is not large enough to cast that spell and it would not due to strain yourself."

"Respectfully, Professor? I am not _keen_ on taking _advice_ from a man who smells like he bathes in _garlic_." Looking down at her notebook to find the notes Jack made about the spell **-you must want the** **outcome and feel the shield wrap around you, trusting in your magic to keep it strong-** Lena pursed her lips and focused.

_ She'd never had to force her magic into doing things, as it always responded to what she wanted- and more than anything right now she wanted to prove the garlic-smelling man wrong and make a fucking shield. _

So trusting in her magic to not let her down, she envisioned a silver shield surrounding her like a dome and then forced as much willpower and desire into the spell as she could. " _ Protego! _ "

From her wand a spidery silver glow crept around her, thinner than she had wanted but there and otherwise whole.

Grinning triumphantly, she looked to the Professor, who narrowed his eyes but picked up a quill and threw it at her- the barrier holding up against it even if it rippled slightly like it was made of a thin layer of water. Contemplatively, the man moved towards her, tapping the shield. It wavered slightly, but only for a second. Eyeing her, he tapped it again, this time harder and she felt the spell break from her concentration, dissipating. "You are determined, Miss Farland. Tell me… are you expecting to be needing a shield soon?"

"That is the same thing as asking you if you need your garlic." She tilted her head as if criticizing the man for even asking, face blank even as she admired the pretty reddish sheen of his eyes. "The base instinct of doing something out of survival is a powerful one, isn't it?"

"...I suppose it is." 

Knowing the man was watching her, she put Jack's notebook away and instead went back to reading, wand keeping up the looping pattern through her fingers. _ _

Lena sat down to dinner a bit late, uncaring that the whole of her house was already there.  _ If they didn't spend the barest effort to be nice to her then she had no obligations to do shit for them. _

Adding a bit more food than her last meal, she ate quietly, using the book she'd gotten on magical creatures to distract herself from the world around her. 

"You have not made any friends yet, I see."

Lena looked up at where the Bloody Baron was floating, bloody as usual. "Just as you have not apologized to the Grey Lady. It seems that we both are creatures of solitude." She waved her hand at the empty bench across from her. "Join me?"

Smirking slightly at her request, the ghost mimicked sitting down at the bench across from her. "I hope you are strong, Snakling. I hear whispers there is plans on moving against you soon."

"I will keep that in mind.” She sipped on the water in her goblet, giving the ghost a half-smile. “If you keep me company until I’m done eating I’ll wander the halls with you until curfew? I already did my homework.”

Listening intently to the stories of past students and the school’s best and worst moments, she ate slowly and asked questions when necessary.

“-and of course, there was that one boy that opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago, an orphan with high magical potential- in fact you sort of reminds me of him, as you both were distant from the house and yet had potential to garner a lot of respect from the house, though he was a parselmouth and a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin because of it.”

Lena tilted her head. “Parselmouth? Chamber of Secrets? Explain.”

Seeming more amused than offended by her demand, the ghost leaned forward, drifting into the table slightly as he did. “When they made this castle, each of the founders made a secret room that could only be opened by certain people. The Chamber of Secrets was Salazar Slytherin’s secret series of rooms that was said to only be able to be opened by his ancestors, those who could speak the ancient snake language of Parseltongue. Parselmouths are those who can speak the rare and powerful language.” The ghost’s eyes seemed to gleam with something dark and she could almost see the man who had once committed a murder out of passion behind his usually impassive mask. “The ancient snake language is said to be passed down only to those who are destined to be powerful, as it draws those with an aptitude for dark magics towards the speaker.”

She neglected to tell the man that she’d been able to hear and talk to the snakes that found their way into the cellar during the winter, just nodding politely and standing up. “Interesting. I believe that I owe you company around the castle?”

They drifted around the castle, talking to the paintings and watching as the halls slowly dimmed under the fading light of the sun.

When they stopped outside the Slytherin Common Room, Lena turned to the ghost with a small half-smile. “I will be alright. Thank you for your company tonight Baron. It was, as always, very educational.”

“Anytime, Snakeling.”

Then she was left to stand in front of the entrance to the Common Room, shivering slightly at the chill of the dungeons.

Lena debated taking her wand from her holster, but the lack of expertise and the thought of possibly breaking it stilled her hand. Straightening, she adjusted her book-bag and looked at the seemingly innocuous wall, making sure her blank mask was without a single crack or fracture before saying the ironic password. “Pure-blood.”

The space of wall disappeared.

The common room was unsurprisingly full, with the male prefect (whose name she vaguely remembered was Janus Carr) standing at the front with his arms crossed. “It’s past curfew, Miss Farland, and you also missed the mandatory House meeting we had, which is unacceptable.”

“I was not informed of such a meeting.” She stepped inside the Common Room so the wall could solidify, but didn’t move past that, knowing there was more to come.

Sneering, the boy’s eyes glinted dangerously. “That’s not my fault. It was still mandatory. But since you’re new to this… the subject of discussion was your lack of respect to House Unity. You’re making us look bad, Farland, and that’s deserving of punishment.” 

“No. It isn’t.” Lena grinned, baring all her teeth in a snarling mimicry of a smile. “If I was never truly part of this House to begin with then I have no obligation to fulfill such rules. Respect is a two-way street, Carr, which means that I am merely a girl living in these dorms at the moment- not one of your little _henchmen_.” 

Janus Carr’s eyes narrowed.

Lena let her smile disappear just as quickly as it had appeared, face back to its normally bored expression. “Glad we cleared that up. Goodnight.”

As she walked past him down the aisle, she heard the boy spin, his voice a yell. “ _ Flipendo _ !” 

Feeling the jinx hit, she was thrown forward, catching herself heavily on her forearms as she hit the ground.

Wincing, as she could tell that she was going to bruise- though thankfully the heavy robes had stopped her arms from scraping- she stood and turned slowly. “Apologize.” 

The Prefect and most of the older students laughed, even though some of the students looked a bit wary of her. 

“Why would I apologize for putting a mudblood in its place?” Carr sneered, flicking his wand again. Feeling a sting as if cut by a thin blade, she lifted a hand to her cheek, pulling it away to see red blood slicking her thin fingers. “You  _ deserve  _ this for not respecting the Great House of Slytherin.”

Licking her fingers, to the surprise of the boy, she grinned and stepped forward slowly with a tilt to her head. “Confirm once more for me. You are actually starting this fight?”

Carr laughed, but he had an uneasy look in his eyes for a second before he steeled himself. “You’re crazy, mudblood. This fight is over. You’re powerless- you’re not even holding a wand!”

Holding up her hand, she clenched it into a fist, walking slowly towards him as if she was stalking her prey. “You’re wrong. Again. I don’t start fights, but I sure as hell end them.” Seeing the boy try to move, his eyes widening when he couldn’t seem to do more than a slight wiggle, starting to thrash against the control she’d taken of his body, she laughed coldly. “I’ve never done this before to someone while looking them in the eyes. Matron was always suspicious, jumping at every noise… every  _ scream _ ...”

“Please- don’t- you can’t-”

“And then comes the begging, wow, I  _ really  _ should have done this before. Making that boy walk in front of that car was less than satisfying after he’d  _ tortured  _ me for so long...” Walking around the frozen teenager slowly, she tilted her head. “I like that cloak. Give it to me.”

Moving jerkily, as if a puppet being controlled by another’s strings, the boy moved to take off his cloak and then held it out. “Just- Just take whatever you want!”

Lena patting his arm as if consoling him. “I only wanted this, no worries. I’ll take good care of it. I always take good care of what’s mine.” Then looking at him critically, she pursed her lips. “But you aren’t mine, are you? Fully, I mean…”

“I- If y- you want?” The boy seemed to be close to crying, the feeling of not being in control of his own body probably more than overwhelming- she’d heard that the boys she’d done this to had visceral nightmares for weeks afterward.

Pretending to think about it, she shook her head. “You’re too ugly to be a good doll. Plus... no one likes a broken toy.” 

Then she turned, pretending that the scream of pain and snapping sound didn’t make her grin, content to take a shower to wash off the blood from her cheek and get to bed.

Severus Snape’s ward for spells being cast in the Common Room made the walls flash green twice and he was about to go out, but he saw it then die down, frowning but assuming that it had just been a brief skirmish. 

Though when what sounded like a scream was heard even though the wall and door, he grabbed his medical kit and hoped that it wasn’t the small first-year girl that he’d seen the others side-eyeing. 

_ The girl who reminded him far too much of his long lost god-daughter. _

Pushing those thoughts aside, he threw open the door between his office and the Common Room, moving through the crowd only to still in surprise. Janus Carr, one of the most talented duelers and a seventh year, was lying on the floor in ugly tears with one of his legs twisted _entirely the_ _ wrong way _ . 

He was at a loss for words, eyes looking over the pale students. “Who did this! What spell was used!” Narrowing his eyes when no one answered, he looked to the female Prefect. “What happened?”

Gemma Farley was pale, swallowing thickly and finally meeting his eyes hesitantly. “It- it was…” But she glanced away for a brief second, seeming to be collecting herself. “I don’t- I don’t know. The spell wasn’t said.”

Severus knew she was hiding something from him, but he didn’t have the time or patience to press the matter, getting out a numbing potion and spelling it into the sobbing boy who seemed to calm just a bit. Then, figuring that he would have no other choice, he removed the bones from the boy’s leg. “Miss Farley, you and I are going to take Mr. Carr to Pomfrey and tell her there was an accident with an experimental spell. That is the story you will tell if any of the other houses ask and also what I will tell the Headmaster until I can figure out what happened.”

The room nodded, quiet and seeming shaken.

“Get to bed, all of you.” Shaking his head, he stunned the Prefect on the floor before levitating him. “Miss Farley- with me.

It was a long night, dealing with Pomfrey and Dumbledore asking questions that he couldn’t answer, and then there was a whole nother set of problems with the boy’s leg, as the spell that did this seemed to have shattered the bone itself and little splitters still remained even after the main bone pieces had been vanished. 

_ It was as if a monstrous creature had wrapped massive hands around the boy's leg and shattered it like a wooden branch. _

By the time he and Pomfrey had gotten the boy to a state of recovery it was practically morning and he resigned himself to grabbing a cup of coffee from the kitchens and going to breakfast late, running on a pepper-up and the hope he could steal a nap during lunch.

Only…

He paused by the end of the Slytherin table, coffee in hand, and stared at the strange first-year girl with the eyes like the killing curse. “Miss Farland?”

Those green eyes that made him extremely uncomfortable looked up at him, face void of any emotion, as if the girl was a delicate porcelain doll and not an actual living child. “Professor Snape. You need something?”

“The cut… on your cheek.” He pointed to his own face, mimicking where the girl had a thin red line that was marking the otherwise flawlessly smooth skin. “Are you okay?”

The girl nodded and again he was reminded of a doll on a string, being moved by an outside force. “It won’t happen again.” Lithe fingers dipped into the collar of her shirt, clutching at what looked like silver dog tags.

Severus was about to dismiss it, but then his eyes caught on the cloak she was wearing and the small initials  _ J.C.  _ embroidered into the collar. Swallowing his trepidation, he held out his hand. “You wand please, Miss Farland.”  Without hesitation, the girl handed a bone white wand over.  It was cold, like frozen metal in his hands, but he tapped it with his own wand with only a moment of hesitation. “ _ Prior Incantato. _ ” A small slip of paper appeared and he took it, looking at the results of the last spell the girl had cast. 

A shield spell.

“Sheild spells are fifth-year material, Miss Farland.”

The girl gave him a small half-smile and a shrug. “I was trying to show Quirrel that I don’t trust the advice of anyone who bathes in garlic.”

Snorting slightly despite himself, he handed back the wand. “As for that cloak you are wearing, it is against Hogwarts rules to steal from other students, but as it is your first infraction if you return-”

“I was given this. From the person themselves.” The green eyes darkened just slightly.

Feeling that creeping dread once again, he nodded slowly. “I see…” Looking down the table of his students, he found that more than a few of them were watching their exchange and the others were pretending that they didn’t exist. Already guessing a bit of what happened, he looked to the girl. “That cut. What if _does_ happen again?”

“I will not be as lenient. I gave my warning and will not be pleased if it happens again… I don’t like to repeat myself.” The green eyes flashed like greek fire, consuming and destructive, as her lips pulled into a small frown.

Swallowing thickly, Severus quickly turned away from the girl, pretending for the sake of his own pride that he wasn’t running away. 

_ He’d seen that look in His Lord’s eyes too many times, knowing it was best to get away- and fast. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will always try to answer any questions or curiosities y'all have, so feel free to comment! (though I might be a bit late or respond at strange times :))  
I hope you're having a good... *peers out the window at pitch black with narrowed eyes* ...day.   
^-^)/<3


	5. How To Crush Vampires In Poker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who wanted to see what Voldy was thinking up in that strange brain of his? You?   
Well, here you go! ;)

Lena supposed that she was not the best person.

Jack had told her that his own brain was maybe a bit messed up from his time at war, his morals a bit skewed, but she’d always listened closely to his advice and suggestions. 

She didn’t care about race or sexuality or gender or anything like that- she thought that everyone was free to be their own person- but she also supposed that was because of the time she’d spent being some puppet on a string like all the other airhead girls at the orphanage even when she was reading anything she could get her hands on in her spare time. 

Though now… looking at the fear on the faces of the other Slytherins, the way that no one wanted to bother her much less talk to her... she wondered if there was something wrong with her.

_ Maybe they would be nicer to her if she just took it? _

_ If she became that puppet she’d been before Jack had found her? _

_ No... _

_ No, she was better than that. _

Shaking her head to clear it of her tremulous thoughts, she leaned back against the cold stone wall of the dungeons, seeing that more children had accumulated around the door to the potions lab while she was lost in her thoughts.

“So we have a  _ Weasley  _ in this class? We’re never going to learn- not with him blowing up every cauldron!” The blonde Malfoy boy that had been instant friends with most all the Slytherins in her year sneered at a smaller redhead, the one who in charms class had been so awed by her paper plane that she’d seen him trying to fold one in the library, sitting by the girl who talked too much and the sunshine boy.

Clenching his fists, the boy started to turn as red as her hair. “You don’t know that! I might be _better_ than you for all you know!”

The blonde scoffed, looking at his nails in a way she would guess was an imitation of his father, nose in the air. “I’ve had a private tutor since I was seven, Weasley. I doubt that you would  _ ever  _ be able to beat me- not with the way your family can't even afford an owl for you.”

Weasley looked about to punch Malfoy, fists clenching at his sides.

“Malfoy.” Her voice was soft, but carried across the hall, seeing all the Slytherins stiffen and Weasley startle out of his rage a bit.

Grey eyes turned to her, wide and scared. “Y- yes?”

“Don’t make fun of people less fortunate of you. It’s bad manners and also comes off as an insult to me, as well as many of your other classmates.” Stalking over, she brushed off her heavy cloak that dragged a bit on the ground but kept her nice and warm in the chilly dungeons. Stopping so she was directly in front of him, she looked into his eyes, ignoring that she was about two inches shorter and tilting her head. “You don’t want to insult _me_… do you?”

“Oh- uh- of course not. I didn’t-” The boy looked to his ‘friends’ but none of them would look at him. Or her. He turned back to her, eyes desperate. “I didn’t mean to- to offend  _ you- _ ”

Nodding, she moved past him to where Snape was watching them from the door he’d opened silently, her voice dismissive. “I would recommend that you don’t do it again.”

Snape looked at her when she stopped in the doorway. “Terrorizing my house again?”

“Reminding others of their manners.” Lena smiled grimly, then moved to take a seat in the exact middle of the room. “And didn’t you hear? I was never fully accepted into Slytherin. For now, I am still my own house." Sitting, she pulled aside her cloak, showing the man the Hogwarts robes were still plain black, voice musing. "I plan on even giving it a name should I end the year in such a state... I think my colors will be purple and gold. I've always liked purple and gold.”

The Professor blinked, watching her from the door as the students moved in, the students separating to either side of the room- leaving her directly in the middle with an empty seat on every side of her. 

Lena just looked blankly at the man, who was watching her as if she would turn into a dragon and eat him.

“Very well class. I am going to put instructions on the board- follow them to the best of your abilities.” The man seemed to retreat back into his sneering persona, waving his wand so the chalk wrote out the instructions for a Cure for Boils, before looking at her. “And Miss Farland? Five points for the cheek from  _ whatever  _ house you are.”

Giving the man an amused lift of her lips, she nodded and then moved to start brewing.

Potions was surprisingly like cooking.

Now most people would add ‘with more chances of explosions’ to that thought, but Lena knew that some cleaning chemicals made bombs, so she was perfectly fine with saying that as long as you knew what  _ not  _ to mix then you were fine. Just like not eating ice cream and ketchup- everything had things they didn't mix with.

Luckily Jack’s notebook had listed the title of a book on ingredients, their uses, and what they reacted and didn’t react to, so she had a pretty good idea of that and the outcome of what her potion was supposed to look like… So she wondered idly why the whole class was shying away from where she was adding in ingredients as she went, judging the smell and consistency while keeping the potion as close to a blue sheen as she could.

Finally, when her potion started to emit a pinkish smoke, she took it off the heat and let it settle.

“What in  _ Merlin’s name  _ did you do?”

Bottling her potion and setting it to the side, she looked up at Snape blankly. “What does it look like? I made the potion you asked for.”

If he was surprised or put-off at her irritated tone, the man didn’t show it. Probably because he was already gaping subtly at her. “You just… made the potion. From scratch. Deviating off the instructions.” The mix of emotions in the man’s eyes finally gave way to anger, hissing as he slammed his hands down on her table and leaning in so their faces were inches apart. “You could have very well killed us all, experimenting like that!”

“And yet I didn’t.” She could feel her muscles still withholding the flinch from the man's temper, body like a rubber band ready to snap as she tried desperately to keep her face blank.

This seemed to be the breaking point for the man, standing and throwing his hand up to point at the door. “Get- get out! You are no Slytherin and you are no _student_ of _mine_! Irresponsible, foolish behavior like that will _not be tolerated_!”

Looking at the man, who was breathing heavily, she took a deep breath and let go of her anger. It was too much work to hold and she honestly didn’t feel like going to that effort at the moment. 

_ Fuck this.  _

_ Fuck the shitty teachers and the horrible kids and the distrust and everything about this world. _

_ She was going back to the Orphanage. _

_ At least they would respect her space there. _

Nodding, she took her bag and walked out with her head held up, going to the girl’s dorms and shoving the few books that she’d taken out of her trunk back inside, dragging the trunk behind her though the common room without a care for the few older kids watching her. 

“What- where are you going?” The Prefect- Janus, who had watched her closer than ever after he’d gotten back from the Hospital wing- moved to block her way.

“Back to  _ hell _ .” Shoving out her hand, she pushed him aside with her magic, uncaring that he was knocked over. “I don’t know what I was thinking- Jack was surely talking about being great at business stuff or something- something  _ logical _ . I obviously don’t belong here.” 

The boy tried to say something, but she was already out the door.

It was the end of classes when she got out of the dungeons, kids flooding the halls, but she must have had an expression of ‘dark intent’ because a path was created for her to stalk through. Heading for the entrance, she shoved the doors open and started walking down the path that she guessed would lead her to the train station.

It was not a short walk, but she got there.

To an empty train station. 

Looking around and seeing a town just a bit further, she decided to go there instead. Hopefully, they would a bus or something back to London. Or they would know when the train would come back next. 

Taking a deep breath to still the swirling emotions in her chest, she dragged her trunk down the street, stopping in front of an old man in plain clothes who was looking at her incredulously with bright blue eyes. “When does the train come in? I would like to go back to London.”

“That train only runs two times a year.” With a look at her, the old man waved her inside a warm tavern that was mostly clean, if not a bit worn down. “What’re you doin’ down here in Hogsmeade? You look a bit  _ young  _ to be down here.”

“I ran away.” Lena thought that was the appropriate expression but then tilted her head. “Or, actually, I walked… but either way, I’m not going back. They have nothing but subpar teaching and bad-mannered children.”

The man laughed, but it sounded a bit on the pitchy side- as if he couldn’t believe what Lena was saying. “You-… you _ran_? From  _ Hogwarts _ ?” 

Lena nodded.

“Well, I think that deserves a butterbeer!” The man moved away to a tap, fetching a mug.

“I’m not old enough to drink.”

Giving another laugh, this one more real, the man pushed a golden colored drink in front of her across the scratched-up bar. “It’s non-alcoholic kid. I’m Aberforth, owner of this here The Hog’s Head.” He offered Lena a wrinkled hand that had more than a couple of calluses.

Shaking the larger hand delicately, she offered up a close-lipped smile that was less frightening than her normal smile but stiffer. “Lena Farland. Mudblood reject of Slytherin.”

“Of- Why those Merlin-be-damned  _ snakes _ !” A woman who seemed to be listening into their conversation looked outraged. “Who would reject a cute girl like you! And for such a nonsense reason like that! I ought to go up there and give those fools a talking to! That’s just-”

Reaching out to catch one of the woman’s bangles, she found herself shaking her head tiredly. “It’s not worth it Miss. I would rather just go back to the orphanage.”

“Orphanage! Why those-” 

_ And there she goes... _

Watching the woman stomp out of the tavern, Lena sighed and closed her eyes, folding her arms over one another and putting her head down.

“Hey, girl!” Turning her head slightly, her cheek resting on her arms, she saw a group of older men playing cards. Muggle cards. The man that had called to her- aristocratic features, pale, with eyes that were pitch black- waved his hand. “You know how to play poker?”

Looking at the barkeep, she gestured towards the door with a lazy point. “Is she going to actually go up to the school?”

The old man grinned, his eyes alight with humor. “Madame Rosmerta? Sure as hell she is and I bet she’ll give them a good dressing-down too.” The man winked. “You’ll have someone comin’ down here to talk to you soon, no doubt about it.”

“Can I leave before then?”

“Go play poker kid.” The man laughed. “I’ll make sure none of those vamps get any funny ideas. That means  _ you  _ Vivaldi!” The man pointed a gnarled finger at someone over her head, a laugh echoing out from the table she'd been invited to.

Rolling her eyes, she took her butterbeer in two hands, carefully sliding down from the stool and walking over to the group of men. Setting the drink down at the space they’d made, she looked at the chair that was much to low for her short stature. Pursing her lips, she imagined a stool and flicked her wand, nodding when it became a stool.

“You a prodigy or something kid?”

Lena gave the man a half-smile, climbing up onto the stool and tossing her long hair over her shoulder. “I am at poker. Prepare to give me all your money gentlemen.”

The pub was filled with laughter, but she only smirked.

_ They wouldn’t be laughing for long. _

Charles Potter had heard the whispers as soon as he sat down, his own eyes darting from the head table where Snape was sitting with his head in his hands to where the space Lena usually sat in- empty.

Frowning, he turned to his friends. “Where… where would she go?”

Susan leaned across the table. “The train doesn’t run until the end of the year, so unless she just sits there, then she’s gotta have gone to Hogsmeade.”

Minerva McGonagall stalked in, heading for the Head Table, and everyone watched as the woman known for her scary temper stopped in front of Snape, who was  _ also  _ known for his temper. “What in the  _ bloody hells _ do you think you’re doing? Rejecting a child from your House? Refusing to teach a girl who might not do things the way you like but who has more potential than I’ve seen in the last  _ twenty years _ ?! Are you  _ insane _ ?”

“She was just throwing things together! She could have killed half the class with that type of blatant disregard for rules! There’s a reason that we teach that to NEWT students  _ only!  _ I refuse to teach someone with such  _ disregard  _ for the  _ basic rules _ !”

The two teachers glared at each other, Dumbledore waving his wand as McGonagall opened her mouth again with a dangerous glint in her eyes, a type of privacy barrier surrounding the two that cut off the noise of their conversation.

Again the whispers started up, covering the hall.

Charlie looked at where Ron was at Gryffindor, telling everyone what Lena had done to stand up to Malfoy and how she apparently hadn’t been accepted into Slytherin fully. He looked to Neville. “In Herbology… did she have a Slytherin crest on her uniform?”

“Not that I remember…” The boy frowned as well, the whole Hufflepuff table murmuring with discontent at the notion of a first-year being rejected from the house they’d been sorted into.

Finally, just when the murmurs were dying down, the two Professors seemingly calm (if not both in a foul mood), the doors to the great hall were thrown open- a woman that he recognized from Sirius’ descriptions of Hogsmeade as Madame Rosmerta stalking into the hall. “How dare you! In all my years I have  _ never _ had a child drag their trunk into _ The Hog’s Head _ of all places and tell Abe that they’re the- and I quote- _‘_ _ Mudblood reject of Slytherin _ _’_! You must be losing your bloody touch, Albus, because that child said clearly that she would rather go back to an  _ ORPHANAGE  _ than come back here!”

With a small frown, Dumbledore stood, holding up his hands. “I am sure Aberforth will make Miss Farland see reason, Madame.”

“Oh  _ really _ ? Because Abe seemed to think it pretty damn funny that some socially-awkward first-year would rather swindle a bunch of vampires out of their poker money than come back to  _ your  _ care!” Madame Rosemerta leveled a look at the man. “This is  _ Jackson Farland’s _ kid, Albus. The one he was always going on about how he stayed at that shit muggle job so he could practically raise? And she’s sitting in the  _ Hog’s Head _ . With Vivaldi and  _ his  _ gang.”

Charlie, not for the first time, wondered what it was about the strange girl with green eyes that made people lose their collective minds.

Madame Rosemerta crossed her bangled arms. “Fix it or Jackson’ll be coming back from the dead to knock you upside the bearded head!” Then the woman turned in a flow of red skirts, and stalked out, muttering under her breath as she did.

Snape smirked. “Should we alert the vampires that we sent Quirrell after the girl?”

It was the first time Charlie-  _ in a moment of dark humor _ \- found Snape funny. 

Lena grinned, waving her hand as if a queen would to her adoring subjects, the men at the table howling in a mix of outrage and laughter. “Pay up!”

“You cheated!” Gerald’s accusation was more playful than anything, handing over the book he’d won from her and then foolishly put back on the table.

Snickering, she shook her head. "I told you I was good at Poker."

"Miss Farland." The cool voice came from behind her, surprisingly unaccompanied with any type of gross garlicky smell. Twisting around on her stool, she looked at Quirrell, whose red-tinted eyes were focused on her. "You are to come back with me to Hogwarts."

Lena shook her head. "Sorry Squirrel. I said I would at least finish this hand." Watching the man sputter for a second at the butchery of his name, she snorted when he moved to grab her trunk. "I'm sure that my friends here will be more than happy to pay you back in kind for stealing my trunk, should you leave with that."

The group of vampires flashed their fangs at the man, who looked a bit pale and lost the red tint to his eyes for a long moment.

Swallowing thickly and straightening himself, the man studied her. "If they resorted you, or Slytherin accepted you, would you go back?"

"And then what? Have the teachers talk down to me because apparently I learn things differently? Put up with the sneers from Slytherin still? Get pulled apart by Snape because I brew potions without instructions and live waiting for the next time I'm going to be attacked by my own house because of something I can't control?" She turned back to her cards. "No thanks. I promised Jack that I'd be great, but that doesn't mean I have to be great in the magical world. I'll find a way to get to London and talk to the goblins, get some muggle money so I can try to get into a university or something."

The Professor huffed, sitting at the bar, apparently not leaving.

Lena only ignored him, going back to her game of schooling the vampires.

It was dark out, her eyes bleary, when Quirrell approached their group once more. Red-tinted eyes found where she was leaning on Vivaldi tiredly, the professor smiling in a way she almost would classify as ‘fond’ and putting a hand on the back of an empty chair next to her. “Are you ready to go back yet, insolent child?”

“Never.” Lena pronounced this with a yawn, scrunching up her nose. “‘M _never_ gonna go back there.”

The man sighed as if she was some great nuisance, moving to sit in the chair and turning to face her, face completely serious. “You will be great, Lena. Even without people liking you, you are already on your way to do great things... but leaving the magical world will only hinder your journey to greatness.” The red sheen grew brighter as if the brown was fading away to the color of blood. “There was once a boy like you- an orphan in Slytherin that was treated as lesser than he was- but he showed his classmates that they had to respect him, and once they got over their fear, they grew to respect and even admire him. I think you will do much the same.”

_ When had the color of blood looked so… pretty? _

Closing her eyes and slumping further into Vidadi, who chuckled softly, she groaned as if in pain. “I’m not getting a choice in this, am I?”

“Nope.” The vampire’s voice was amused, but when she opened her eyes she saw he was eyeing the Professor as if seeing him in a new light. “You were headed back to the school the second the good Professor sat down at the bar.”

Lena noticed the way ‘good’ was said mockingly, the Professor’s eyes flashing with something she registered as inherently dangerous, but didn’t say anything. 

It wasn’t her problem. 

Quirrell grabbed her arm lightly, pulling her up so he could wrap an arm around her waist, picking her up like she was a sack of flour. “Come on. It’s too late for this nonsense.”

“I’m not a sack of potatoes.”

“Definitely not. You’re  _ lighter  _ than one.” The man put her down on her feet, ignoring her glare so he could shrink her trunk, before dipping down and sweeping her into his arms. “Aberforth. Vivaldi.” 

Both men-  _ traitors!- _ didn’t even blink, nodding at the Professor as he passed. 

Lena crossed her arms, glaring at the man as he stalked out into the night. “Put me down.”

Red eyes that seemed brighter in the dark peered down at her. “No. You would run away again and I’m not about to go back to Hogwarts having lost the child I was charged with wrangling.”

Giving up and letting her head fall back, she took a deep breath and then released it slowly in a shallow yawn, closing her eyes. “Whatever. Wake me up if they decide to be reasonable.”

Voldemort had first been able to take control of Quirrel when he’d been faced with the green-eyed girl that was undoubtedly his nemesis, the ‘lost’ Potter child, and from there it had only gotten easier with every moment of curiosity watching her ignore his presence with a steadfast determination as if she didn't have the faintest clue as to who he was.

But he never thought that he’d be in this situation.

Walking through the chilled October air, with the bane of his existence sleeping in his arms soundly, Voldemort questioned his own sanity. 

_ Why not just kill her now?  _

_ Tell the others that one of the Vampires had taken her and just… be done? _

The girl moved and he looked down to see her turn her head further into the folds of her cloak, his eyes catching on silver embroidered initials. The same initials of the Prefect that had been sent to the hospital wing just a week or two ago. And with the Prefect at the top of the hierarchy, whoever had bested him in a duel would have claimed the position at the top of the Slytherin food chain, and yet thinking about it… no one had claimed Carr’s position.

A thought hit him.

_ Because the person that had put Carr in the medical wing… was in his arms. _

And that right there was enough to put thoughts of the girl’s murder from his mind. He would never have admitted that he would have let her walk away even without the realization- but now? He wanted to see what she would do, what chaos she would stir up.

_ Who knew. _

_ Maybe it would amuse him. _

Walking into the Great Hall, letting Quirrell have the barest amount of control so he wasn’t suspected as much, as he knew Dumbledore had to have the barest of suspicions already, he looked at where the teachers were sitting around a small round table, the hall otherwise empty. “She- she fell a-asleep on a v- vam- vampire.” 

Dumbledore smiled at him kindly.  _ The old fool.  _ “Thank you Quinninus. If you will take her to the guest quarters in Slytherin, Minerva and I will talk to Miss Farland after breakfast tomorrow, as it seems it is later than I thought.”

“And the child’s winnings f- from the- the v- vamp- vampires?” He held up the bag of gold that Vivaldi had slipped him while the girl was bemoaning her fate.

Flitwick and McGonagall both seemed to find this amusing, Snape scowling, and Dumbledore actually chuckled. “Pocket money. She did win it fairly, I assume?”

He nodded. 

_ She had even called out the slippery vampires on their cheating a few times. _

“Then it’s hers.” The Headmaster nodded, standing and moving to walk past him, patting his shoulder as he went. “Thank you for going to find our wayward prodigy, Quinninus, I am most appreciative.”

_ He sort of regretted not killing the girl, if just so he didn’t have to deal with the man’s patronizing nature. _

_ Though… not as much as he should. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate Snape in this story, but man, they're going to have an issue or two for a while...  
Next chapter will hopefully make everyone happy with some snakey interaction ;)  
As always I'm open to questions or comments or maybe even ideas! (given that I have most all the story planned out of course) I hope you enjoyed!


	6. How To Become A Snake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's noon somewhere right? ;P

Lena woke slowly, sitting up and finding that she was in her robes from the day before, her cloak settled over her like a blanket. Her shoes were sitting on her truck which was across the room, and she swung her feet to hang over the side, staring at the cream-colored walls.

_ Quirrell was right. _

_ Going back to the orphanage now would only keep her doing chores and not eating. If she could stay here, eat, and learn whatever she could from the magical world while she was at it… maybe in a few years she would be able to make the choice on whether or not to leave fully, having gotten a good taste of this world's magic. _

_ But she would need more space. _

Changing into a pair of jeans she'd worn the knees out of and stained with paint, she pulled on one of her nicer grey t-shirts, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail and shrinking her trunk to tuck in her pockets. Wearing the cloak as if it were a cape (_ it was long enough on her to be) _, Lena made her way to the Great Hall from what looked like a different part of the dungeons.

Sitting at the very end of the Slytherin table, not even pretending to give a flying crap anymore, she pulled out a thick book on magical creatures. 

The bench across from her sunk and she looked up to see that the boy with the strange violet eyes- Blaise Zabini- was eating calmly across from her. 

"What."

The boy grinned at her. "What what?"

Lena blinked. "What are you doing here?

"Eating. Breathing. Talking."

Scowling at the boy, she huffed. "Whatever. Just don't-" Drifting off, she looked at him for a second and then waved her smaller hand in his general direction, scowl deepening. "Don't do whatever you're doing."

He grinned wider, raising an eyebrow. "Does that count breathing?

"If you can, it would be amusing."

Sucking in a deep breath of air, the boy clamped his mouth shut.

Lena stared at him, amused, but then frowned when the boy started to look a bit like he was going to pass out. "Stop that. You can breathe- I was joking. I'm not sadistic, _ fool _, just not used to human company."

"What company _ do _ you like?"

"Snakes. The _ real _ kind, unfortunately for you." 

The boy laughed and held out his hand. "I'm Blaise."

Lena stared at him blankly. "I know this."

"Well then shake my hand." The boy wiggled his fingers as well as his eyebrows. "It's the best way to make friends, as I've heard, and since I don’t really have any yet…"

Reluctantly, she took his hand. "Lena. And you're an idiot."

Blaise chuckled, shaking their hands with a wide grin before letting go and turning back to his food. "If the other girls are being prissy you can sleep in the boys dorms. We do have an extra bed."

About to scowl and tell him he could go shove his crude suggestions somewhere not entirely polite, she caught the look in his eyes and immediately paused. 

_ He was... lonely. _

_ Just like her. _

Nodding, she let her lips quirk up into a half-smile. "I'll keep that in mind… thank you."

The boy's smile was wide and more than a bit pleased. 

_ She had a feeling that if she looked at her Hogwarts robes, they would be trimmed in green. _

Blaize Zabini was the only son of a wealthy woman who apparently killed all her husbands but left no proof, so it was all rumor. But Lena more cared that he was completely unfazed when it came to her lack of attention due to reading and her sharp tongue. Other than that, he was who he wanted to be around her and that was all that mattered.

So when McGonagall told her that the Headmaster wanted to see her and she saw Blaise's face fall slightly, she looked at him as she stood up with a neutral expression that was just a bit warmer than her normal blank one. "I'll meet you in the Common Room later so we can do our homework for Charms, alright?"

The boy seemed happy just to nod and watch her walk away. 

_ She wondered if Jack would be proud that she’d made her first friend. _

The Headmaster- Dumbledore- was an old man with a long white beard and robes that proved he was either colorblind or the worst judge of fashion she’d ever seen. His office was full of tiny nicknacks that she would guess had little use and a bird that looked about to die, but she said none of this as she sat in the seat McGonagall pointed her to. “Headmaster... Am I here to negotiate?”

Looking amused at her wording, the man nodded. “If you would like to call it that.”

“I _ would _like.” Lena gave the man a smile that she knew was edged and looked a bit cruel on her lips.

“Very well then. Negotiations start now.” Dumbledore clasped his hands together, leaning forward with a kind smile, his eyes twinkling just a bit. “You’re a brilliant girl, Miss Farland, but our classes are not made for someone with such… ease of magic. So the idea is that you prove you can do what is asked of you in class, and from there you will be allowed to do whatever self-study you want in the classes you are ahead in. I assume you have been to the library?”

She nodded. The library was very impressive, but… “I want access to the restricted section.”

“That’s not a safe place for-” McGonagall started, but Dumbledore held his finger up, stopping the woman before what Lena suspected would have been a rant.

“You’ll be given a bracelet keyed to your magical signature that will get you through the wards, but it will also record any book you take out and make sure they stay on your person or in your rooms.”

Lena nodded, agreeing to the terms easily enough. 

The man smiled. “To give you access to the restricted section though the wards for more than a few trips, I am going to give you the honorary title of ‘Assistant Staff’ and key it into the bracelet I will be having the goblins make for me. Due to this position, you will get your own small room instead of having a dorm, as some of the books you will be curious in are not for others your age. With this title also comes responsibility though. Should a student need help and not be able to get a Prefect, you should be able to answer simple questions or help them with little things.”

“Fair enough.” Lena was less than pleased at having to be asked stupid questions, but she supposed that it was worth it to get into all sections of the library. “And are all my classes still-”

“I am afraid, my dear,” Dumbledore gave her a smile that was more of a grimace, “that Professor Snape has not backed down on refusing to teach you.”

“_Git,_” McGonagall muttered under her breath. 

Lena held in a smirk at the insult, just nodding blankly. “And will I have just an empty period or may I take another class in that period? Because I looked into the electives and I think that if I sat in on the Ancient Runes classes early, it would coincide with my first research project- which is going to be spells of different languages.” _ And occlumency. _

The two adults shared a look, Dumbledore smiling and nodding before standing. “I think that Professor Babbling would love to have you.” Then he waved to a bowl of yellow candies. “Lemon drop before you go?”

Standing, she grabbed a lemon drop, before pulling out a peppermint and offering it to the man. “Peppermint?”

“Oh- thank you, my dear.” Taking the candy, the man’s eyes sparkled when they both tried their respective candies, sharing a small smile in between them.

Turning on her heel, she waved her hand. “Get me the bracelet when you can. I have homework to do.”

McGonagall, however, caught up to her and put a hand on her shoulder to steer her down the main staircase. “You- Miss Farland- have a flying lesson that you have an excused tardy to and I am your late pass, to make sure you actually get there.”

Rolling her eyes, she nodded and just resigned herself to a class of nonsense. 

Though when they got to the first floor, and she spotted the plant-boy in Hufflepuff being carted in by the flying teacher with what looked like a broken wrist… well, she was a little more intrigued. 

Looking at McGonagall, who had stopped to talk to the woman, she silently slipped away to the outside area to see what happened.

“-think I’ll put it somewhere for Longbottom to find.” Malfoy was getting on his broom, grinning with an object in his hand. “How ‘bout on the roof!” The boy rose into the air, sneering down at who she noticed was the sunshine child. “What’s the matter, Potter? A bit beyond your reach?”

Strolling up to where Charles looked ready to get on his broom, she shook her head. “Is that worth it when I can do this?” Raising her wand, she grinned at the blonde. “_ Accio _.” The Remembrall flew from the boy’s hands and she caught it smoothly, hearing the footsteps and grinning wider. 

_ Though surely _ ** _this _ ** _would be the best part. _

“Draco Malfoy!” McGonagall yelled at the boy, lips pressed together tighter than a vice. “Get down here this instant!”

Turning to the boy with the messy black hair- _ who was smiling one of his sunshine smiles- _ she held out the glass ball. “I’m not sure what it is, but I wouldn’t trust Malfoy with a quill of someone else’s, much less something breakable.”

“Thanks, Lena.”

Nodding, she let the boy take the ball. “Sure.” Then with a half-smile to the boy, she moved to where Blaise was standing off to the side. “You look lonely.”

The boy just smirked at her, unfazed by her jab. “And you look like a Hufflepuff.”

Shrugging, she watched McGonagall verbally tear Malfoy to shreds. “He did this himself. I just made sure that the Longbottom boy got his sphere back.” Moving to sit on the ground, she looked back up at Blaise. “Do you like to fly? What’s it like, being a million miles away from everything that can hurt you, without a care in the world but the occasional plane or hot air balloon?”

“Plane? Hot air… balloon?” The boy shook his head after a second. “I- well- I guess I don’t know… My mom never let me fly because she never had time to teach me.”

“Oh.” Lena looked up at the sky, before back to McGonagall, who was slowly losing steam. Holding out her hand and looking to the boy, who helped her up (but not without an eye-roll), she moved to McGonagall’s side. “Professor? May I ask a favor of you?”

The woman startled looking to her. “Miss Farland?”

Looking away and down, as if she was shy, she bit the inside of her cheek in the way she’d picked up in the time she had actually cared about what others thought of her, knowing that it presented a sweet picture of a shy little girl. “Well I’ve never flown before and when you said we’d be able to fly… since you don’t have class… do you think…”

“I guess,” the woman smiled when she looked up with big Bambi eyes, “since I don’t have class, I can watch over the class while you all try out flying… But should any of you go further than a hundred feet I _ will _hex you off your broom!”

With a crooked smile that was pure excitement, she bounced back over to Blaise, waving her hands. “Go! Go! Show me how to do it so I can fly!”

Laughing, the boy held out his hand over his broom. “Up!”

Starting back to the Common Room at a slower pace than Malfoy, who was whining and complaining about McGonagall, Blaise moved to hook his elbow with hers. She looked at him, half bewildered and half-amused. “What are you doing?”

“Is this not what friends do?” The boy peered at her.

She snorted softly. “Blaise, I’ve never had a friend either, so if you’re looking for instructions then I’m not the one to ask.”

“Oh.” Frowning for a moment, the boy moved to clasp her hand, moving their fingers until he settled into holding her smaller hand. “Then this is more comfortable... right?”

“Whatever makes you happy.” She shifted her book in her arms so it was easier to carry, trying to ignore the tingly feeling that the skin contact gave her, like little spiders crawling up her arm.

Grinning at her, the boy then started to swing his arm ridiculously, skipping at a ridiculously slow pace and humming. 

Feeling her lungs clench, she burst into a peal of laughter, kicking at his ankle- to which he danced away. “Stop it! You’re not allowed to be such a dork if you’re walking with me!” Still giggling, she shook her head. “Just- just walk like a normal human being, you fool!” 

“Oh, so, like this?” The boy then started to do a number of increasingly silly walks, still holding her hand, and by the time they got to the common room her stomach hurt from laughing. “Now whatever you do- you can’t laugh, or the other Slytherins will eat you alive. Alright? Belladonna.”

His cheeky smile and teasing half-warning had her fighting a smile, not able to cover her flushed face as the common room came into view. Clearing her throat and pursing her lips, she stepped through the doorway, looking to Blaise as she did. “Don’t you dare-” 

Grinning, he did this ridiculous octopus type of motion, schlepping himself over to her side like some swamp creature. “Do _ what_?”

Staring each other down, the boy snickered as she tried to fight a smile before both of them burst into laughter. Hitting him with her book, she rubbed at her face with the back of their attached hands. “I cannot believe you, Blaise Zabini. Ten years of not a single laugh and you break that by acting like an _idiot. _”

“Worth it.”

Rolling her eyes, she went to move forward when her path was blocked with a body kneeling before her. “I, Janus Carr, relinquish my position of Slytherin King to Lena Farland as by the rights of a duel won.”

A giggle escaped her lips, the older boy looking up at her, surprised, and she pressed her face into a black mask quickly. “Stop kneeling. It’s not helping the pure _ idiocy _of this day.” When the boy stood up again, she sighed and untangled her hand from Blaise’s, reaching to unclasp the cloak around her shoulders. “I assume you want this back? Usually, most people just ask instead of crawling at my feet.”

Carr looked at her, blinking slowly. “What?”

“Your cloak. I took it because I was tired and feeling spiteful. But since you apologized- or whatever that was... I’m offering your cloak back.” Lena watched the boy take his cloak back hesitantly before nodding. “Great. Good. Bye now.” 

Moving past the older Slytherin, she froze when her arm was caught in his grip. “Wait but-”

Placing her hand on his, she grabbed one of his fingers and pulled it backward, making the boy let go of her. “Don’t touch me without permission, _ Carr_.” Stepping forward, pulling his finger so his arm was twisting in on itself to try to follow her movement, she hissed wordlessly. “I do not _appreciate _the feeling of human contact from those I do not trust... Do I make myself clear?” 

Wincing, the boy nodded quickly. “Yes- yes, yeah. Crystal.”

Letting go, she stepped back, looking at him with narrowed eyes. “What then, is _ so _important for you to grab me like that?” 

“I- I gave you the throne.” At her blank look, the boy ran a hand through his hair with a slight sigh. “You bested me in a duel, Farland. That makes you top of the food chain in Slytherin. Now anyone could choose to try to usurp you, but for now, you and your court make the rules around here.”

“Court.” She tilted her head. “Okay. So I’m Queen and I just stole the crown off your head... does that mean you get demoted to being a crownless King or just beheaded all together?”

Looking at her critically, seeming somewhat surprised at her question, the boy went to explain. “Once the Head Royal is disbanded, the new royalty makes a group of people they want to become their court and if no one wants to challenge the King or Queen, then other spots in the court can usually be challenged. You would be able to step in to fight for that person, but it wouldn’t garner much respect within the house.”

Lena studied the boy. “Hold out your hand.”

Doing as she said, the boy watched her curiously.

Pursing her lips together, she took his hand, worrying at the inside of her lip for a second and then pulled back from the feeling of only a bit of discomfort. “I trust you. You’re officially a crownless King, Mr. Carr. No beheading for you today.”

“Why take my hand?”

She shrugged, starting to walk away. “If people are deemed untrustworthy or a danger to me it hurts to touch them. You’re only the mild discomfort of being pinched, whereas Blaise is like being tickled with a feather.”

“What-... what’s the highest pain you’ve felt from touching someone?”

“Being stabbed.” She stopped and turned around, the older boy almost colliding with her. “When I was ten, a man tried to rape me in a back alleyway. His touch was like being stabbed... so I don’t regret his death.”

Carr’s eyes widened. 

Lena tilted her head. “Accidental magic sure is helpful sometimes.” Then she turned on her heel, glad to find no one followed her to the room at the very back of the hall that was marked with her name.

_ She just wanted a fucking nap. _

“I need help figuring out why the Ministry is a complete and utter garbage fire.”

The Common Room turned to stare at her.

Lena had taken a long nap, then gone through all her ‘shady’ books and compared them to the assigned texts, finding some major discrepancies. But she figured that maybe leading with her irritation wasn’t the best idea and sighed deeply. Walking through the common room to an empty seat by Carr with a space of table in front of it, she raised an eyebrow, as her arms were full of books. “May I? I have quite a few books here.”

“If you’re leading with a dislike for the Ministry, then by all means.” The older boy grinned, waving his hand as if to permit her entry. 

Rolling her eyes, she carefully set the stack of books down, setting each of them out so the assigned texts each had a not-so-assigned text by it. “I got the assigned books- which are rubbish by the way- but then I happened along this lovely little second-hand bookshop down the alley from Gringotts and-”

“Down the alley… by Borgin and Burkes?”

“Mhm. Wonderful selection of books. They had all the books that Jack wanted me to read and more, but anyway-”

Gemma Farley held up a hand. “_You _went to Knockturn Alley? Alone?”

Lena stared at the girl, before searching out Blaise and giving him a look. “Explain.”

“Knockturn alley is the seedy magical underworld of London. Girls your age are known to enter and never be seen again.” Blaise grinned and then moved to drape himself over the arm of the chair she was standing by. 

She grinned toothily. “Lovely. I’m sure I'll forget to worry about that later. Anyway_. _ What I was _going to say, _ is that the books I got on each of my subjects from the normal bookstore are grossly missing some basic information and philosophies from the other books I found in… Knockturn. Now I know that my potions text doesn’t even compare because the one Jack suggested was a literal dictionary on all the uses and reactants for every potion ingredient _ ever_, but even the book on Hogwarts is dumbed down!” Sneering, she looked at the other Slytherins watching her. “Who here knows who the Bloody Baron even murdered?!”

A broad boy with teeth that were all wonky leaned forward. “That book’s illegal.”

“So I’ve been told.” Her eyes found Malfoy for the barest of seconds before she sighed and rubbed her temples. “I bet none of you've read Fahrenheit 451 and it fucking _ shows. _”

“Fahrenheit 451?” Janus Carr looked at her. “Explain please, Farland.” 

Looking to the boy, she sighed and flicked her hand towards the stairs. “Just call me Lena. Honestly. Farland’s not even my name really, as Jack died before he could adopt me.” Catching the book she’d summoned, she held it up. “Yes, this is a muggle-written book, but I’m sure once you lot get over your bigotry, you’ll like it.” 

“What’s it about?”

Sitting with a sigh, she looked down at the worn book that she’d gotten from Jack to keep. “It’s about a man who works as a fire-man. He goes to work each day and sets fire to the homes of anyone who dares to keep or try to read a book while his wife sits at home and watches pictures on a screen that essentially brainwash society into being these uneducated puppets of their former selves. And then he meets Clarisse, the girl who sees the world in color when no one else will...” 

_ This was hopeless. _

“It’s a good book, though I think Clarisse deserved better.” Looking over, she found Theo standing stiff under the scrutiny of the house, but with a determination in his eyes. “Honestly muggles have _much _better works of fiction than wizards do.”

A girl next to Farley leaned forward, holding out her hand. “I bet you the crown, Farland, that this book is so boring it’ll make me want to set it on fire.”

Grinning, Lena put the book in the girl’s hand, holding her eyes. “I bet you a favor at a later date that you come back after reading it, hand it back to me, and then ask for another like it.”

“Deal.” The girl’s eyes glittered, taking the book and opening it as she leaned back in her chair.

Smiling to Theo, she moved to hold out her copy of the third edition of _ Hogwarts, A History_. “I think that I promised to let you borrow this on the train?” When the boy smiled and moved to take it, she gave him a small quirk of her lips in return. “Well now that it’s settled that no one knows why the Ministry is so corrupt, I have-”

“You’re thinking the Dark Lord was at fault, aren’t you?” Draco sneered, arms crossed.

Instantly the common room seemed to stiffen, even Blaise, Theo, and Janus seeming to withdraw.

Lena tilted her head. “Did I say that?”

Draco narrowed his eyes. “Your name. Farland. You were raised by Jackson Farland- the Head Auror before Barty Crouch, who was notorious as he had almost as high an arrest rate as Mad-Eye Moody. Don’t you think it’s stupid to keep acting as if we don’t know?”

“I didn’t even know about any of that until two years after he gave me a command to ‘do something great’ and then up and died, so if you have any thoughts in your head about how he raised me then get in line- because I sure as hell have some questions too.” Feeling her emotions swirling around her like a snowglobe, she took a deep breath and let it go. “As for the last war? I have no idea what Voldemort was fighting for and I don’t exactly trust the victors to tell me. So until I can figure that out and look at each side, I stand as neutral ground, just as I don’t expect you to give me a logical explanation on why Iago chooses to betray Othello.” 

Theo perked up at this. “He thought his wife was cheating on him!”

Unable to stop herself from snorting softly, she put a hand to her mouth and pressed her humor back into her mask of indifference. “Okay, okay, I don’t expect any muggle book knowledge from anyone _ but _Theo.”

“I thought Cassio had something to do with it too?” Janus grinned at her. “What? Shakespeare is a classic.”

Shaking her head, she gathered up her books and headed back to her rooms, voice a quiet mutter. “You’re all crazy.”

Lena almost always got up before everyone else, and at seeing a note from Janus to sit at the head of the Slytherin table in the morning, she made her way to breakfast and did so. Waving over Blaise and then Theo when they came in with the starting crowd of kids coming into the Great Hall, she nodded in greeting when Janus sat down across from her. 

“Did you acquire a pair of jesters?”

Blaise scowled, Theo rolling his eyes. 

She just snorted softly. “Theo’s the historian and Blaise is the...” 

“Royal fashion police.”

Snickering softly, she nodded and gestured to Blaise while looking at Janus with a toothy grin. “_That_.”

“Lena _ friggin’ _ FARLAND!” The girl from the night before stormed down the aisle, slamming the copy of Fahrenheit 451 to the table with crazed eyes. “How- what- he killed my favorite character! And- and then the hound and- _ what the Salazar, _ Lena! Why would you do this to me! I stayed up all night because I couldn’t put that _ stupid _book down!”

Seeing Gemma Farley move to pick up the book, making a copy for herself, Lena grinned. “So… can I interest you in another? Perhaps one with a utopia so perfect it can’t be true?” She pulled out her copy of _ The Giver, _holding it out.

The girl took the book greedily and started to turn, before pausing and offering out a hand. “Hestia Carrow.”

“Lena Farland.” Hesitantly, she took the girl’s hand, feeling at first the small pricks of needle-like things over her skin before it settled into barely-there impressions. Shaking the hand, she pulled away and then turned back to her breakfast. 

Theo looked at her skeptically. “And you just _ happened _to have that book.”

She looked at him big innocent eyes. “I have no idea what you mean Theodore. I would _ never _ plan something like that…”

Shaking his head, the boy turned the conversation away from her books- _ which had already gotten into new hands- _ and onto how Charles Potter had made the position of ‘seeker’ for a game called ‘Quidditch’.

Lena saw Theo yawn into his hand, shaking her head and looking back to her telescope. “Did you know that the gravity on the moon is 17% of Earth’s gravity? I would weigh just 9 kilograms there.”

Blaise raised an eyebrow at her. “And you know this… how?”

“Muggles have been to the moon,” she grinned at their stunned expressions, “so I was interested in the stars. But… I don’t know _ any _of their names.”

Trading a glance, the boys smiled. “We’ll help you, but in turn, you have to help us in the other classes.”

Waving her hand, she nodded. “Whatever just help me out here- there’s like a million of these tiny bastards.”

Laughing, the two boys moved to her side, helping to point out the stars that mattered.

Having been released early from the class, the two boys yawning their way through breakfast, she just smiled and moved to sit down next to Janus. “Good morning. How was the common room last night?”

“Well Flora and Hestia have made a book group to debate the different points of The Giver, the whole house has been reading Fahrenheit 451 and even got in trouble with Snape for trying to read it during potions… also, the Quidditch team is working extra hard because of Potter being seeker.”

Lena looked down the table, catching Flint’s eyes and giving him a small quirk of her lips.

Nodding to her, the boy turned back to his conversation with the boys around him, but he seemed a little less tense than before.

“No matter if they lose, we will still celebrate the game.” Standing from her seat, she looked to the two boys blinking sleepily at her, shaking her head. “I am going to see if I can find the owlery on my own, can you get those two back to the dorms?”

Janus smiled, amused. “What will you give me if I do?”

Staring at him, she blinked slowly. “You can read the book I gave Theo after he finishes it.”

“Deal.” 

Rolling her eyes, she moved down the aisle, nodding slightly in return to the heads that dipped to her as she went. Stopping by Flora and Hestia, she wordlessly held out _ ‘Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy’. _

Looking at it warily, Hestia took it slowly, meeting her eyes. “Thank you.”

Staring at the girl for a moment until she was sure that the book wouldn’t be burnt as soon as she turned away, she nodded and then stalked from the hall.

Moving up a set of stairs, she paused when they started to move and she ended up faced with a creepy hallway, eyeing the castle around her with a glare. “Great. _ That _isn’t foreshadowing…” Turning around to just go back, she found that the path behind her had changed as well, only a ledge to nowhere. With a sigh, Lena adjusted the strap on her shoulder for her book bag and turned to the hallway. “Nowhere to go but forward…”

Creepy dark hallway? Check.

Spiderwebs? Check.

Strange out-of-place statues? Check.

Moving to stand before an ominous door at the end of the hallway, Lena pulled at the handle, looking closer at where a thin bar of metal was all that was blocking the door from opening. 

Taking a bobby pin out of her bag, she lifted the latch from where it was resting, letting the door swing open. 

_ Pitiful defenses really. _

Peering into the room, she blinked at where a large three-headed dog was sitting, one of its heads looking at her while the other two seemed to be sleeping.

One of the two heads sleeping blinked slowly, looking at her.

Slowly, she closed the door, latching it again and just staring at the wood. 

_ A Cerberus. _

_ Okay, so that was unexpected. _

Leaning back against the wall, she opened her bag and dug out the napkin of bacon she’d taken from breakfast, taking a deep breath and opening the door again. 

All three heads were awake now, staring at her.

“Hello.” Stepping forward slowly, she held out the bacon stips as she went. “Would you like some food?”

The beast growled lowly when she got to a certain point, so she stopped. Putting her foot forward, the massive dog bared its teeth until she withdrew it.

“Okay. You like your space. Noted.” Sitting down on the cool stone floor, she waved her hand with the bacon, smiling slightly when its eyes tracked her movement. “You know… I always wanted a dog. Jack used to have this german shepherd when I was little, but it took almost three years for it to warm up to me, as it had seen some nasty times with Jack in the war.”

One of the dog’s heads snapped up a piece of bacon she threw at it, the other two heads watching her intently.

Lena smiled grimly. “He used to say that I had to make it realize I didn’t mean to hurt it, as I smelled like danger… I guess animals are smarter than people after all.” Throwing the bacon at the dog bit by bit, she wiped her hands on the now-empty napkin and then moved to pull out her book on runes. “I hope you don’t mind the company. I was going to find a place to hide from everyone by the owlery, but I suppose that this’ll work just as well.”

Watching her for a long moment, the dog finally laid back down, two of its heads closing their eyes and the third resting on one of its paws, watching her closely.

She ignored it, opening her book.

Charles noticed the change. 

It wasn’t hard to- one day Lena had been sitting outcasted from the rest of Slytherin, the next she was sitting at the head of the table with their male Prefect and two of the boys her age that Charlie recognized from Sirius’ rants about work. Blaize Zabini was the son of a woman that had most likely killed her husbands (plural) and Theodore Nott was the son of a Death Eater. Not to mention the muggle-born girl seemed to have no issue with the house now, even nodding and trading books with the Carrow twins, who were apparently very staunchly anti-muggle-born just the year before.

Lena seemed to go on like this was normal, the three boys she sat with taking this attitude in stride, but it was made clear that _something _had happened by the way the house of the snakes watched the girl- As if she was both a puzzle that seemed to frustrate them to no ends and some sort of higher power all at the same time.

Rumors flew.

_ Was she secretly the long lost daughter of the Dark Lord? _

_ Did she turn into a bat and put all the Slytherins under her hypnotizing stare? _

_ Maybe she was really a Veela that only let out her allure on the house of the snakes? _

But Charlie ignored that because she had never once said a word about his status as ‘The Chosen One’ while she made small-talk in Herbology and was always gentle with her hands even if her words were clipped and rough at best.

“No- Blaise you’re hopeless, you have to touch the plant to pot it, not just-” The girl in question sighed from across the table, rolling her eyes. “Do you need gloves? Would that help?”

Zabini was looking at the pot of dirt where a worm was wiggling around with a disgust that Charlie reserved for Rita Skeeter and getting his picture taken respectively.

Flicking her wand, Lena easily transfigured a pair of black gloves for the boy, watching in amusement as Zabini pulled them on haughtily. Looking over at him, she sighed softly. “How are you doing Charlie?”

“Fine, thanks.” He tilted his head slightly at how the girl nodded and went back to her own plant. “Are… are you doing better with the Slytherins?”

The table quieted, trying to pretend like they weren’t listening to how the girl would respond.

Lena looked up at him, eyes smiling but face blank, and nodded slightly. “I am. It seems I have found that talk of overthrowing the government helps. Though... I am not sure if they are talking in hypotheticals all the time.” The emerald eyes seemed to sparkle in the light, the girl leaning in slightly with the corners of her lips pull up. “Who knows? I might be the reason for a political revolution.”

“Oh.” _ What in the seven hells was he supposed to say to that? _“That’s… nice?”

Nott snorted softly from the girl’s side, and Lena pulled back slightly as if reading the fakeness of his tone, her eyes dulling back to their normal blankness. “I guess the short answer would be yes. I am doing adequately.”

_ I am doing adequately. _

_ Adequately... _

The sentence seemed to ring hollowly in his ears as if he could tell somehow that she wasn’t telling him the whole truth and he wondered if she’d felt the same thing just moments before.

But the thought was pushed from his brain when Susan Bones asked him about Quidditch and he happily started to talk about flying, not noticing the emerald eyes that narrowed on him slightly before turning back to her plant with a slight frown on her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else is down for some sarcastic banter? Count me in!  
As always I'm open to questions or comments or even ideas!  
Okay now... going to sleep ^-^


	7. How To Rule Through Chocolate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Dr. Suess' works (^-^) Nor anything in the Harry Potter 'verse (though I can wish I did)  
Second to last chapter of the first book!  
Look at how far we've come!  
To those who wanted a clarification of Lena's un-Slytherin behavior... Ta-Dah!  
To everyone else: Enjoy as well!

“Miss Farland.”

Looking up from her book on Runes, having already finished her lunch, she looked blankly at McGonagall. “Professor.”

Leaning over the table, the woman held out a silver object. “This is yours, same with everything that comes with it too, starting right now.” 

Slowly taking the bracelet that would mark her as ‘Assistant Staff’, Lena dipped her head to the woman and put it on, feeling it tingle against her magic for a long second before shrinking to fit her wrist exactly. “Thank you, Professor. And thank the Headmaster for me. I owe him a peppermint.”

“I think that I might be able to transport such things.” The woman’s lips curved slightly.

Humming, she tilted her head. “Then you underestimate the importance of the gesture.” Standing, gathering her bag, she gave a half-smile. “But I would not turn down someone to walk to the library with, as it seems I can finally start my research projects.”

McGonagall put her hands behind her back, a hint of a smile on her lips still. “I can do that.”

“Excellent.” Nodding to the others, she moved to walk with the woman in comfortable silence. When they got to the library, she held out a peppermint candy. “This is for you. I will give the Headmaster his when next I see him.”

When the woman took the candy, she turned away without another word and walked to the restricted section. 

Finding a book on Occlumency, she sat down in a corner to read.

_ The Headmaster had said it would record every book taken out… but not if she read _ _inside _ _the restricted section. _

Covering her tracks by pulling out a couple more books- famous wizards throughout time, a book of advanced potions, and a book on dangerous runes- she made her way to the third floor.

Again having bacon in her bag from breakfast, as she had gotten into the habit of doing every Tuesday and Thursday, she managed to get almost two whole feet closer to the dog without it snapping its teeth or growling at her.

After reading for longer than she could accurately tell how late it was, she made her way down to the common room, finding more than a few of the older Slytherins were still up and sitting around the fire.

“You’re past curfew.” Janus looked tired, but not angry as if he was a dad in a novel that waited up for his daughter to sneak in late.

It amused her, something slightly warm lingering in her chest at that thought.

Lena held up her wrist with the bracelet on it. “I’m allowed to be.” Moving forward, she sat down in an empty armchair closest to the fire, looking around the small group. “Go to bed. I will be reading late and do not need company. I can take care of myself… or do you need a reminder?”

There was a pause before the group started to stand and Janus looked at her for a long moment. “Tomorrow is Halloween.”

“So it is.” She opened her book, looking for where she left off. “What about it?”

“Muggles… usually have… _ customs_.”

Eyes moving up to search his, she tilted her head. “I am no muggle.” When the boy opened his mouth, she held up a finger and he fell silent. She smiled, but it was stiff. “The only thing that has happened in my life repeatedly on Halloween was being locked in the cellar because the Matron thought I was the devil… so unless the House is planning to piss me off, we will be fine.”

Janus nodded slowly, looking at her with appraising eyes. “Goodnight, my Queen.”

“Goodnight, crownless King.” Turning back to her book as a clear dismissal, she waited until they had left to grin, slightly amused at the thought of her having any such traditions as dressing up or eating candy. 

_ No, she had no such happy memories like those. _

Midway through the night, her book closed as well as her eyes, basking in the peace and silence of the empty Common Room- footsteps came from the dorms.

Blinking slowly, she looked at where a blonde girl had stopped at the edge of the circle of chairs closest to the fire, looking as if Lena might eat her if she moved to fast. “Oh, I- I didn’t see you…”

“It’s alright.” Lena waved her hand to the chair across from her. “Take a seat, if you want. I don’t mind.”

Slowly, the girl sat down and the light of the fire illuminated two wet paths down her cheeks from her eyes. Pulling her knees to her chest, the girl looked at the fire, her voice just barely a whisper. “Thanks.”

Nodding, she rolled her stiff neck and found a more comfortable position in the chair. “Why are you crying?”

“I-” The girl sniffed. “It’s nothing.”

“If it was nothing then you wouldn’t be crying.”

Looking at her strangely, the blonde frowned. “Why do you care? You’re the_ ‘Queen of Slytherin’ _ and all- don’t you have better things to do than talk to a _ peasant _like me?” Scorn dripped from her tone, lips pulling into a sneer.

Lena just looked at the girl, voice soft in the cool night air. “Was it a nightmare?”

After a second of staring at each other, the girl looked away, nodding.

Humming slightly, Lena stood from her chair. “Stay here.” Then without another word, she moved to her rooms and got a chocolate bar from her truck, tossing it at the girl when she got back to the Common Room.

“What- what’s this?”

“Chocolate.” Lena draped herself across her chair once more, staring at the ceiling that was dancing with shadows from the firelight. “It helps me remember better times after my nightmares, so I thought it might help you. Plus, one of the chemicals in it is the same chemical released from your brain when you’re in love… and I like to pretend I know what that’s like.”

The girl laughed shortly, but it was more out of some sort of surprise.

Lena’s eyes slid to her, questioning in their weight.

“You’re both the worst and best Slytherin I’ve ever seen.” The girl waved the chocolate bar with a small smile before moving to open it. “You share the secrets of your life like they mean nothing and give things away without asking for anything in return… yet you are made of stone and ice and can wear a mask of indifference that will out-act the best of them.”

She let her lips turn up slightly. “Maybe you have it backward.”

The girl blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Maybe I think of the story of my life as meaning nothing, so it doesn’t matter to me who knows. Maybe the real secrets are not in what I tell freely, but what I choose to omit.” She blinked slowly. “Even then, I only have... four secrets.”

“_Four_?” The blonde gaped at her. “How?”

“Simple.” She shrugged. “All the rest don’t matter to me enough for me to go to the effort of hiding, and even then, most of my secrets are just a matter of omission. It’s not like I’m _actively _trying to hide anything from anyone. That would be tiresome.”

Silence fell between them.

"I dreamt that my mother and father were telling me I was worthless because I wasn't the best in my class. Because your grades are higher than mine and you’re not even a-… a pureblood."

Lena looked at the girl. "Are you doing your best?"

The girl flushed, seeming to take offense to that. "Yes! But-"

"Then it won't be a problem." Her voice cut over the girl, eyes steady. "Jack always told me that as long as I do my best, that he would be proud of me… so think of it this way- even if your parents hold unrealistic expectations, if you do your best then I will be proud of you, as will the House of Slytherin. Is that enough?"

Nodding the girl smiled softly and wiped her cheeks. "Yeah. That's enough." Eating her chocolate slowly, the girl stood up eventually. "I'm Daphne. Daphne Greengrass."

She nodded slightly. "Lena Farland. Now go and get back to sleep Daphne. It's too late to be worrying about what other people think."

Nodding, the girl padded slowly back to her rooms.

Standing and collecting her book a little while later, she guessed she would have to mail the Goblins and see if they could ship her chocolate bars in bulk, as she guessed she would need them.

_ She got the feeling more than a few of the house known for the ambitious had such nightmares, as children were not born cunning, but made that way. _

_ And maybe she'd get some dog treats while she was at it. _

“Miss Farland.”

Not looking up from her book on runes that she’d gotten from the restricted section on advanced rune languages, she hummed slightly, recognizing the voice of the man that usually stuttered. “Quirrell.”

The Defence Professor sat down in the seat across from her in the little library nook she’d found. “You are an unusually hard student to find alone.” 

“There is a reason for that.” She jotted down a rule about certain rune patterns and their grammar rules, before finally looking up at the man. “And that reason is that I don’t like people. What can I do for you, Professor? You have me alone until Janus comes back from helping Blaise and Theo find books decent enough to help them in charms so I don’t have to.”

Quirrel flicked his wand, some type of spell covering them before he leaned back in his chair. “I wonder what makes you so special… when I was in school I was much like you, yet Dumbledore would never have given me such a position of power,” the maroon eyes flicked to her wrist, “as he has you…”

Lena shrugged, moving to cross her legs and lean back. “Maybe you were irresponsible or untrustworthy. Not to mention Dumbledore gave me this because he had no other choice. If not for our deal, I would have left the magical world and not looked back. Dumbledore saw this and I assume he has some type of plan for me, hence his keeping me here.”

“You would blindly follow whatever path he lays out for you?”

“I would… consider all my options.” She looked at the man carefully before looking back down at her nails as if she didn’t care and wasn’t highly suspicious of the conversation. “He might be hoping to use me to further his own goals, but as right now he is giving more than he is asking so I am content to sit and wait, see what his game is. Though I think… that we are both playing something of a long game.”

Quirrel opened his mouth to say something, but the barrier surrounding them fell- Janus standing stiffly with his wand trained on the Professor, before blinking and hastily lowering his wand. “Oh- uh- Professor Quirrell… What- what are you doing here?”

She stood, gathering her books with a half-smile to the older boy. “The Professor and I were just discussing a few of the hexes that Jack wrote down for me in his notebook. Apparently, they are quite illegal for everyone but Aurors.”

Blaise snorted softly. “Figures.”

“Yes, well, shall we head back to the common room? I think Hestia’s book group should be meeting soon and Flora sent a note for me this morning that they were going to be discussing the best ways to overthrow a government.” Glancing back to Quirrel, she smiled sharply. “Time is precious, Professor, as I am sure you understand. If you don’t mind, we will have to finish this discussion at a later time.”

The man nodded, still watching her intently, and she moved to take Blaise’s hand to steady herself as they left.

Glancing to her, the darker-skinned boy didn’t question it, instead squeezing her hand gently.

Closing her eyes for a second, wondering what it was about the Defense Professor that make her feel like she was vibrating out of her skin- _ resonating with a thousand tiny moths trying to rip free from her stomach- _she squeezed back the boy’s hand and then looked to where Janus was watching her closely. “I wonder what the Halloween feast will be like?”

“Samhain.” The older boy smiled at her fondly, moving to lay his arm around her shoulders, her height acting against her yet again. “If you don’t celebrate Halloween, then you might as well call it Samhain.”

Looking at where his arm was draped around her but not bothering to tell him to remove it, she just nodded. “Samhain then.”

Ignoring the mounds of candy around the table, she picked out a non-candy apple and opened her book. “I get the feeling that Snape is glaring at me.”

Theo chuckled. “Snape’s glaring, McGonagall is smiling at you like you’re some adorable puppy, and Quirrell seems to be late.”

“So a regular dinner then.” She shook her head slightly. Janus laughed, piling his plate with sugary items, and she peered at him critically. “You better not eat _only _that. If I have to _ force _you to eat something of substantial value, I will.”

The boy frowned at his plate, before pouting slightly and putting back his candy apple.

“Children. I swear.” Shaking her head, she looked to Blaise, who was watching her with amused eyes. “Who makes the food around here?”

Blaise raised an eyebrow. “House-elves are the ones that run the castle. They do everything from cooking to cleaning up after the messier of the houses. That’s why Slytherins try to keep the dorms and common room as clean as possible.”

Lena worried at her lip for a second. “How do I speak with the head house-elf?”

“Missis Snakey calls for Tali?” A small creature that had massive eyes, big floppy ears, and leathery skin appeared at the end of the table.

Blinking a few times, she smiled sort of awkwardly. “Yes. Hello Tali. Can you please make sure that there is something less… _ sugary _offered to the table? How about something simple like... Chicken Tikka Masala?” _ She’d never had the traditional Indian food but it was something Jack had always talked highly of, so she thought that couldn’t hurt. Though it was apparently sort of spicy so… _“And how about some fish and chips as well?”

The elf seemed to nod eagerly. “Missis Snakey bes asking for healthy food, unlikes Dumblydoor! I’s be doing this!”

Soon enough some of the sweets were replaced with _actual food _and most of the Slytherin house turned to look at her.

Letting an air of silence settle around the house, she spoke at her normal level of speech, knowing that if her voice didn’t carry, that the students would pass along her words. “I will have every one of you eat something of substance, as it will not due to be feeling sick in time for this weekend’s Quidditch game, will it?” Letting the table do as they pleased, she turned to put some of the Tikka Masala on her plate.

Gemma Farley, who was sitting on the other side of Blaise and who had been quiet in her views on Lena before, leaned forward to smile at her. “Thank you. It’s less of a hassle when there’s not as much of a possibility of people getting sick from not eating anything but sweets.”

“Of course. It would not look good for the Queen of a house to let such behavior continue without at least trying to correct it.”

Blaise smiled conspiratorially at where she had carefully wrapped up multiple cookies to put in her potion compartment in her trunk because it had the best stasis spells money could buy, earning himself a glare in return. 

Lena and Janus were quietly discussing Hogsmeade as a way to get chocolate bars for the number of students she was finding had nightmares, when Quirrell burst into the hall, running forward with eyes as brown as mud. “Troll in the dungeon! T- Troll in the dungeon!” 

The head table stood, the Slytherins stilling around her and she looked to Janus.

Quirrell was pale, looking unsteady. “Thought you ought to- to know.” 

When the man collapsed, the hall burst into commotion, and even though Janus stood and tried to calm their house it did nothing in the face of the sheer panic.

Standing and stepping up onto her bench, she put her fingers in her mouth and whistled sharply- the shrill sound cutting through the commotion and making everyone still. Face emotionless, she turned to her house. “Slytherin. Sit down or so help me, I will not ban you from book club for two months.”

“But-”

“No buts.” Her voice was cutting, narrowing her eyes on Hestia Carrow. “Sit and finish your dinner. I am sure if the troll is in the dungeons _ where our Common Rooms is, _ that we will not leave this room until the teachers clear the halls of the beast, so I suggest you get comfortable.”

The house seemed to slowly leach of its nervous energy, moving to sit down as a group.

Nodding, she stepped down from her bench, looking to Janus and Gemma. “Make sure the younger students are within a group of comfort. If that means breaking ranks to have them sit with the older students then I think our house’s mental health is more important than our pride, if just tonight.” 

The two prefects stood, bowing their heads just slightly and then started to move the house around, dispersing the older students though the younger ones.

“If we could take an example from the cool logic of Miss Farland...” Dumbledore nodded to her slightly, “Prefects of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, please lead your houses back to the dormitories. Teachers... will follow me to the dungeons.”

The two houses that resided in the towers of Hogwarts moved to funnel out of the Great Hall, the teachers calmly following the Headmaster like a marching order with just Pomfrey, Sprout, Babbling, and Vector staying behind. 

Snape sent her a look that was not entirely a glare but not something kind either, before stalking after the others, even Quirrell (having seemingly recovered from his fainting spell) hurrying after them.

“Thank you, Miss Farland.” Sprout ambled over with a smile. “I didn’t even realize our common room is in the dungeons too!”

Nodding, she looked down at where her snakes still looked a bit shaken up. “Professor, would you mind if I read a story out loud? I think we might all need a bit of a pick-me-up.”

She could see a few of the Slytherins perk up at that, probably wondering what she would pick.

“Well- I…” Glancing at the other teachers, the woman smiled brightly. “I see no problem with that!”

“What are you reading Lena?” Hestia, the unspoken leader of the book group, sent her a wicked smile. “Surely not the book _ we’re _reading?” The whole of Slytherin, reading enthusiasts or not, had gotten into Machiavelli’s ‘The Prince’ and were devouring it with an aptitude she had only somewhat expected.

Shaking her head with a half-smile, she reached into her bag and activated the runes she’d been drawing to connect her bag and her trunk’s library, thinking of a particular book and then pulling it out. Moving to clear a place on the table, she sat on the table with her feet on the bench and held up the children’s book so the pictures were displayed to the group. 

“Oh, the Places You’ll Go, by Dr. Suess.”

There were a few murmurs from the Hufflepuffs, but not a single Slytherin complained, the older students moving again slightly so the younger ones could move to see the pictures better.

Lena cleared her throat, glancing briefly at Babbling when her voice was amplified across the hall. “Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!” Turning the page, she smiled slightly when Blaise leaned against her, putting his head against her knees. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose... You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go...”

She lost herself in reading, remembering when it was her reading to Jack when the old man was working, or when she would take out the book she’d snuck under her shirt in the cellar and read to the darkness.

The students seemed to calm, panic finally fully fading, but with its departure came a soft sort of sleepy atmosphere and she watched in amusement as the two tables leaned on each other, some of the younger students even already asleep.

“...I'm afraid that sometimes you'll play lonely games too. Games you can't win 'cause you'll play against you. All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone will be something you'll be quite a lot... And when you're alone, there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on…. But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go, though-”

Someone cleared their throat softly and she looked up at where Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers were standing and looking at the two houses in soft fondness. 

“Ah. Right... It’s all clear, I guess?” Lena glanced at Janus, about to close her book and tell him to start to get their house up, but a purposefully quiet voice stopped her.

“No no, my dear. No need to interrupt in the middle of a story. Please, go on.” The headmaster passed her by with a smile, settling in his chair at the Head Table.

Janus nodded to her encouragingly.

Licking her lips, she ignored the new professors in the room and once again started to read, picking up where she’d left off. “But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go through the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak…”

And when she finished the story, closing the book, Janus hefted Blaise into his arms like a bag of potatoes, the older boy looking at her with a hint of worry in his eyes. “You good to walk to the Common Room?”

“And miss out on Marcus carrying me?” She sent a quick grin to the Captain of the Quidditch team. “I think I'll live without.”

Flint grinned back at her, motioning to his teammates and the older students helped to carry the younger students that were out like lights, Marcus gently putting two second years over his shoulders. “Your loss, Lena!”

Snorting, she looked over her house. “Come then, my snakes. We have places to go indeed.”

“Miss Farland.”

Pausing, she looked back at Dumbledore. “Yes, Headmaster?”

The man smiled, eyes twinkling as he did, popping his candy of choice in his mouth. “Thank you for the wonderful storytelling. Fifty points to Slytherin for an ingenious way to help your fellow students stay calm.”

“I have no idea what you mean, sir. I was just reading out loud to sate my boredom.” Her blank mask was in full force, though she paused slightly before levitating the book over to settle in front of the man. “Thank you for the points though.”

Then with a nod to Janus, she helped a groggy Theo up and moved towards the door, the house of the snakes following her deftly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who can guess one or more of Lena's four secrets? (there are five or six answers I'll accept but the sixth would be a miracle because it hasn't been mentioned and I /will/ accuse you of being a psychic)  
Anyway, I hope you enjoy, I'm going to go back to drowning in schoolwork (6-6)  
Oh!  
Whoever wants to see my mental image of Lena as a smol bean- here's a thing I made on Picrew because I was bored last night: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/610261018622296066/643217011052380160/Screenshot_20191109-175902_Chrome.jpg


	8. How To Lose Graciously

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! The last chapter of the first year!

Lena had made sure everyone was in bed the night before, leaving out a few chocolates for anyone who might wake, as well as a simple spiral-bound notebook where anyone could write out their dream if they needed, before heading to bed herself.

The next day was Quidditch after all. 

Waking up extra early, she made sure that her hair was braided with green and silver ribbons, asking the house elves to make sure that the meal was one of high protein for their table before sitting down with an Astronomy assignment. 

She was halfway through the page when someone stopped in front of where she was sitting with her back to the wall at the head of the table.

Looking up, she smiled thinly at a girl in Gryffindor robes. “Hello... What can I do for you?”

“Wood sent me. He says to keep your _dogs _on a leash. No fouls and no cheating.”

There was a scoff. “And what would you know of dogs _ Bell_?” Janus’ voice was ice from where he loomed over the girl. “You have a lot of nerve to-"

“Janus. Enough.” Her tone was calm, but the look she sent to the boy was enough to portray her irritation. “We can all be cordial here... don’t you think?”

The girl looked at her in a mixture of disgust and hate. “I heard the rumors, the little first-year nobody rejected from her house one day and then controlling it the next, but I didn’t actually believe it until now… What’d you do, Farland? Sleep with all the seventh years?”

Lena felt herself flinch back slightly at the accusation, Janus letting out a sort of animalistic snarl, but a smooth voice interrupted the three of them in their movements before they even happened.

“Miss Bell. Thirty points from Gryffindor for crass language.”

She didn’t look at Quirrell, not able to keep her memories from welling up to try to choke her.

_ -a rough voice speaking to her and dirty hands pushing her up against a wall- _

“Miss Farland?”

_ -blood, wet on her skin as the man’s head was cleanly severed from his body in her panic- _

“Lena?” A hand, warm like the feeling of being tickled softly with butterfly wings, moved to lay on her shoulder.

Blinking slowly, pushing the horrible thoughts far _far_ back into the depths of her mind, she looked to who she knew instinctively was Blaise, even if she couldn’t feel anything but ice in her body at the moment. 

“You okay?” The boy’s eyes were scanning her for any sign of an injury, eyebrows furrowed.

“I-” She swallowed thickly then nodded, her voice was barely a whisper, mouth moving even though she didn’t seem to process it. “Yeah.”

Blaise gave her a look of concern, but after a long second, nodded. “If you say so.”

“Miss Bell, you will return to your house table.” Quirrell was watching Lena with eyes that almost looked scarlet in the light, casting a glare to the Gryffindor that had the girl scrambling away, before frowning back at her. “Do you need to see the nurse, Miss Farland?”

Lena looked at the man, not even finding enough energy to make her lips move into a smile. “I am fine Professor. Your timing is appreciated though, less I have hurt her.”

An almost cruel smirk flitted across the man’s face before it was gone and the scarlet color dimmed to a reddish-brown. “Y-yes… Well t-then, I- I have- have to go.” And with an assessing glance, the man hurried off to the Head Table.

“I think he should just give up the stutter.” Janus sighed and sat down across from her, his eyes not matching the teasing smile he wore. “How about you?” 

It was a play to gauge her mood, but she went along with it easily.

Lena tilted her head, giving the group a half-smile that didn’t reach her eyes but she knew was better than nothing. “It makes people think he’s unassuming and mild-mannered. I think it’s a good tactic of diversion.” 

Theo snorted softly, taking a bite of his toast. “If you say so.”

Quidditch, as it turned out, was like a weird version of Soccer, Baseball, and Eye Spy all combined together. She relied on Janus’ quiet commentary of how things were doing, clapping politely when the boy would say they earned points.

A few of the more _avid _Slytherin fans started to get ugly with booing the Gryffindors, but after she sent out a few silent stinging hexes, they reigned in their behavior.

“Slytherin takes possession of the Quaffle! Bletchly passes it to Captain Marcus Flint!”

Watching, she narrowed her eyes as the boy kicked a girl out of the way, looking up to Janus who just shrugged. Sighing, as no penalty was called, she looked back to see the Captain of the Gryffindor team block Marcus’ shot, smirking as he did. The same boy who was blocking _all _their shots, the snakes around her seeming to really dislike him. But Lena only smiled when the boy caught the next catch, Blaise elbowing her with a _ ‘what are you doing’ _ look on his face. 

She shrugged. “He’s cheeky.”

Blaise just rolled his eyes.

Scowling darkly, as he seemed to be irritated with the other Captain, Marcus Flint took Lucian Bole’s beater bat and hit a bludger right into the other Captian’s stomach. 

There was really no match after that, even as the Slytherins were being booed by the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors, and the game ended with a 70 point lead. Waiting until the mob of students swarmed out of the stands and onto the field and she was left the only one not caught up in the excitement of winning, she moved slowly down the stairs.

The crowd giving her a bit of leeway they wouldn’t have to anyone else, she looked at the Quidditch team with a small smirk. “Good game, Slytherin.”

“We’re going for the cup for the sixth year in a row!” Marcus’ grin was wide, eyes slightly dilated from the adrenaline. “There’s no way we’re going to be beaten by Ravenclaw- now our only threat is Hufflepuff and we’ll squish them like flies!”

The crowd cheered.

Lena nodded, pulling out her wand and transfiguring some of the small slips of parchment she had for this occasion into what looked like gold crowns, handing them out. “Today we are victorious. Today you are all princes. Today… we _ celebrate_.”

Each boy put on their crown, the roar that arose from the Slytherins deafening in its pride and excitement.

“Now go shower. You’re not allowed to party in such a state.”

Laughing, the Quidditch team bowed their heads to her, grinning and the mob started to move towards the castle, even Blaise and Theo swept up in the chaos.

Janus, however, stood by her side silently with a small smile on his face. “Not going?”

“I will… But not yet.” Turning on her heel, not having to look back to know she had a shadow, she moved to where the Gryffindors were huddled, looking defeated. As she approached, the girl who had insulted her earlier (who was sporting a nasty bruise now) glared at her poisonously, but before the girl could talk her wand was flicking out to silence her. Twirling the wand through her fingers, she tilted her head. “How's your Captain?”

Ignoring the girl who was mouthing something surely of crude nature but saying nothing, she watched the Gryffindor Captain emerge from the crowd, limping and holding his side. “And what do you want?”

Lena let her lip quirk up slightly, holding out her hand. “Good game.”

“What-” Oliver Wood, as she faintly remembered his name was, stared at her hand. “You- Flint would never-”

“I know. That’s why _ I’m _ here and not Flint.” Her eyes dropped to his side for a second before she pulled back her hand slowly. “Janus?”

The older boy stepped to her side, eyes curious.

She looked up at him. “Was Marcus’ move against the rules?”

“No, it wasn’t.” 

Nodding shallowly, she smiled stiffly at Wood. “As you heard. I have no basis to punish Flint... so why would I? But I _ can _ offer up a handshake and an indirect question of concern as to how you are holding up.”

“Unsilence Katie.” Wood’s eyes were still narrowed slightly on her.

Flicking her wand again, the girl scowled deeply at her. “Bitch! How dare you come over here, gloating in all your-”

Lena sighed, ignoring the rest of the girl’s rant and glancing up to Janus. “Are they _ always _like this?”

Janus grinned, but it was bitter. “Welcome to the house that everyone hates.”

“Of course we hate you! Why wouldn’t we hate you, you slimy-”

“Quiet.” Lena clenched her hand, the girl’s voice stopping without a single movement of her wand. Looking at Wood with a slow and dangerous smile, she tilted her head. “I would have just accepted the handshake… but no, you just had to prove to me that you’re _ worse _than any of my snakes when it comes to prejudice.”

Wood was now glowering at her. “Unsilence Katie!”

Yawning behind her hand, she shook her head. “No... I don’t think I will. She can stay this way until she learns that her actions have consequences, as her parents didn’t seem to teach her that very well.”

“Yeah? And what about _ your _parents?!” One of the girls from the side of the silenced girl snapped at her.

Janus moved to put a hand on her shoulder, his grip tight, as if asking to hex the girl, but she ignored it.

Lena blinked slowly. “My parents are dead. So I learned that my actions had consequences when the Matron would lock me in the cellar for days without food when I did something that she deemed ‘bad’... like having more than a fourth a plate of food.” Smiling widely in a way that she knew was twisted and jagged around the edges as the group of Gryffindors processed that answer, she shrugged. “But look what good it did me. I’m now _ more _than _aware_ of what happens to little girls that piss off people more powerful than them.” 

“Your snakes are waiting.” Janus’ tone was cool but had an undertone of worry.

Nodding she turned, walking away with the boy. And when they were far enough away, she held up her still-clenched hand, looking at it. “Should I let her have her voice back? Or should I… keep it?”

Blinking down at her, Janus gave a short startled laugh. “What?

Unfurling her fingers, she held up a small blue orb that seemed to be pulsing, watching it curiously as it glowed with the trapped voice. “I saw it in one of the movies that I snuck into and thought it might be fun to try.”

“That-... Lena do you know-…” Looking at the orb in her hand, eyes wide for a long second, the boy shook his head as if to clear it. “Next time. Next time, do it when you’re not in direct conflict with the person and _ then _keep it so that no one is able to link it back to you.” 

Pursing her lips, but accepting the logic, she threw the orb over her shoulder- not looking back but hearing it shatter against the floor. “Whatever. I like greens and golds more than blues anyway.” 

It was weeks before the Quidditch team even considered not wearing their crowns- as she didn’t realize it, but had been feeding a bit of her magic to them to keep the transfiguration up- but she just rolled her eyes and let them do as they wished.

Their defeat of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff boosted morale even more and she added initials to their crowns, drawing runes on them to ward against summoning, as some of the Gryffindors had been getting nasty in their defeat.

The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Captains accepted her handshake, however, even asking to join the party (and later on, the Ravenclaws asked quietly to be involved in the book club).

Winter crept up on the castle, Lena finding herself wearing Janus’ cloak more than the boy himself, and as more Slytherins got nightmares she would find herself sleeping in her armchair just so she could be there in case someone woke up and needed someone to talk to. The goblins thankfully came through with her ordering of chocolate (and dog treats in bulk) though, so she wasn’t lacking in her main method of comfort. And on the days when more than one person had a nightmare, she would read children's books or fairy tales, whoever was there usually falling asleep before she would finish.

Thursdays were her ‘break’, going off to sit with the Cerberus and leaving out chocolate for her snakes before collapsing into her own bed.

_ Jack would be proud, _ she thought. _ She was slowly but surely becoming a good Queen. _

Though when the winter holidays came around, she looked at the empty sign-up sheet in the corner of the bulletin board and sighed, signing her name.

And even with the multiple Slytherins that came to offer her residence at their family homes for the break, she was content in her decision to stay in Hogwarts, as it felt more like home with every passing day.

Janus and Theo offered more than a few times, even as she knew that their parents would never accept her willingly, Blaise offering double that many times to stay with her, but she insisted they spend time without her, practically having to shove them out the main doors of Hogwarts when it came time.

Slytherin was empty, save for her.

No staying up reading, no late nights offering the barest comfort she could, no giving out chocolate, no one to talk to, no one to turn to so she could point out interesting things in her books from the restricted section… and yet she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

The other tables had a few students, their Head of House usually eating with them, but Snape had yet to even look her way. She got the impression he didn’t much like her, though she had no clue _why_.

Instead, the Defence Professor would take the seat across from hers, usually eating in comfortable silence.

“Snakeling!” 

Startling slightly, she looked up from her book on basic Alchemy, before giving a rare full smile to the Bloody Baron. “Baron. It’s been a while.” She patted the bench beside her, lips quirked up even more when the ghost ‘sat down’ next to her. “What can I do for you?”

The Baron grinned, seeming in good spirits _ (pun fully intended)_. “Well, I hear you’re the Queen Snake now and came to congratulate you!”

“Thank you.” Lena dipped her head with a smile. “I took your advice and showed I had power even without the blood.”

Nodding, the Baron’s eyes glinted conspiratorially. “I also hear you’ve been practicing your handling of Magical Creatures a bit… early.”

Glancing to where Quirrell was watching them, she smiled thinly at the Baron. “Indeed.”

“As the other ghosts have seen you roaming the castle late at night… Might I suggest going down to the dungeons and stopping by to check out a few of the abandoned classrooms?” The Baron smirked. “It might be interesting what you find…”

Lena tilted her head. “I will think about it.” She watched the ghost drift away and then shook her head slightly, turning back to her book.

“Strange advice from an interesting companion.”

She snorted softly at Quirrell’s gibe. “You’re one to talk. You’re the only Professor that wants to sit with me and yet you won’t even start up a conversation.” Looking up, eyes mirthful, she gave the man a half-smile. “You won’t get my secrets from staring at me.”

Quirrell didn’t smile, instead looking at her carefully, his eyes a deep crimson color. “Apparently not...”

Not knowing what to say, she blinked slowly at the man, before popping a peppermint into her mouth and deciding to go back to ignoring him.

_ Strange and confusing man. _

Wandering the dungeons late at night when the stillness made it hard to sleep, Lena thought, was probably not what the Baron meant… but it would have to do with how closely Quirrell and Snape watched her during the day.

Except she was pretty sure that a big ornate mirror was out of the ordinary to find in one of the abandoned classrooms. 

Moving to stand in front of it, she blinked and spun around.

The figure in the mirror that she’d seen… was not behind her.

Slowly, with her eyebrows furrowed, she slowly turned back around and walked closer to the mirror. The figure slowly came into focus, Jack standing slightly to the side of her with his close-cropped white hair neat and his eyes fond but stern like she remembered, the same scar making an unmistakable dip on his right cheekbone.

“Jack.” Her voice was a whisper, reaching out a hand to touch the mirror in the place where the man stood. “I… I thought I’d never get to see you again… After-... well- Matron wouldn’t let me go to your funeral.”

Jack nodded solemnly as if this wasn’t a surprise (It wasn't really).

She moved to sit down in front of the mirror, the man grimacing as he did the same thing, and she could hear the pops his knees would have made in her head along with the way he’d have grumbled under his breath. “I made three friends.” Her smile was wobbly, wiping her eyes hastily so she could try to keep up the collected front she’d been holding for so long. “And- and I think that you-… you would like them, Jack. Even if they were a bit mean, to begin with, they’re learning and- and I’m doing okay.”

Closing her eyes, she cleared her throat, not even trying to wipe away the tears anymore as they just kept coming

“But I miss you.”

It was the truth, laid bare, and her heart clenched as the man met her hand to the mirror even though she couldn’t feel anything. Her sob was pronounced by the soft gasp in the night’s silence. 

“_God _ I miss you…” She squeezed her eyes shut. “No one told me it would hurt this much Jack. No one- no one was there to tell me to be strong and-... I thought maybe, just _maybe _there was no point... To breathing. Or getting up in the mornings. Or even… living.” 

The man in the mirror frowned slightly and she had to look away from him for a second so she didn’t have to face that disappointment.

“But then- then I came here and- and everyone seems to know you.” Her voice broke slightly. “Everyone… but me.”

Falling back into the silence of the room, she slowly let her breathing even, let her masks and walls mend themselves back into the girl that had been forged out of grief and pain.

Pulling her knees to her chest, she stared at Jack and she at him.

“You’re not even real. I know that and yet… there’s so much I want to say to you, to spill every one of my thoughts and secrets to you and hope that it’ll bring him back.” One last single tear rolled down her cheek and she tucked her chin to her chest, the domes of her knees pressing into the dips of her eyes, the tear absorbed by her skin. Her voice was a whisper. “But I know that it won’t.” 

Sitting in the night air, curled up at the base of the mirror but unwilling to look at it, was how she spent her night.

Only when she stood stiffly to leave-

The mirror was different.

Where Jack had been before, now stood the mirror image of herself. Except… the smile on her reflection's face was not the same smile she wore when she found something funny or amusing. No, this smile was sweet and kind and… loving.

All the things she knew she didn’t really know how to physically express on her face.

Then, without her moving, her reflection held its hand up. In the small fingers was a stone of reddish hue that looked almost like some uncut gem. The reflection put the stone in its pocket and she blinked in surprise when she felt something weigh down her own pocket, reaching in to find the stone she’d seen in the mirror.

Something niggled at the back of her brain, something telling her this was important.

Frowning, she wondered if someone was going to notice it was missing.

Deciding it was better not to find out, she took out her wand and searched out a good-sized piece of rubble laying on the floor of the deteriorated classroom, concentrating on making the rubble into an exact replica of the stone. Then with a frown, she held it out to her reflection.

Seeming to laugh, her reflection pointed to her pocket without the stone in it.

“Right.” With a scowl to the girl that was most definitely _not _her, she put the fake stone in her pocket, feeling it disappear. Then with a crude gesture to where the other girl was beaming brightly at her, she stalked away, putting the stone in her thief-proof trunk compartment.

_ Hopefully, the stone was worth seeing herself as whatever_ that_ was. _

Blaise came back from break with a smug smile and news that his mother (the infamous Black Widow) had given the boy permission to have her over anytime they wanted, not to mention the boy seemed to have grown an inch in the week he’d been away.

Lena just told the boy to thank his mother, but that she was alright, rolling her eyes as she greeted Theo and Janus with small smiles.

The three of them had gotten her Christmas presents- a charm bracelet from Theo that had a single charm of an eye on it that would supposedly help her see in the dark, a fancy set of fountain pens from Blaise, and a green-leather bound journal from Janus- and she, in turn, had approached Professor Babbling to get help for making her own presents.

Her gift for Theo was a silver band that would help him feel confident even in the worst environments as she knew the boy was a bit shy under his bookworm mask, Blaise got back his shoes (which she’d stolen the week before) with runes carved into the bottom so they wouldn’t make a sound when he walked, and Janus got back his cloak with a rune sequence stitched into the lining that would give him an air of importance as he’d talked about going into the Ministry after graduating.

The rest of the house had gotten her small things like chocolate and peppermint candies, the most memorable gift being the book of wizarding children’s tales from Flora and Hestia.

As the snow melted and the chill seemed to mellow, the students did the opposite.

Exam session was upon them and it seemed like every one of the older students were competing for either the worst nightmare or longest panic attack.

It was a good Lena kept chocolate on her at all times, shoving bars at students as they passed her in the halls and sometimes even having to glare at the seventh years until they would give up their studying and take a nap.

  
  


Charles sat stiffly over the library study table to where Ron, Hermione, Susan, Neville, Hannah, and Dean were looking at him. “Wait- you _what? _”

Ron grinned widely, seeming to think this exciting. “We found a three-headed dog!

“A Cerberus. It’s called a _ Cerberus_.” Hannah sighed, as she was the one with the most knowledge about magical creatures.

“I don’t care what it’s called- not when Hermione found out it’s guarding the Philosopher's Stone!” Ron looked all too pleased with himself, Dean nodding along excitedly with the red-head.

When Charlie looked to Hermione, the girl nodded, her Ravenclaw showing in the way she immediately pulled out a large book. “Hagrid led us to Nickolas Flamel and from there we figured out that the Stone was being hidden behind multiple traps, including the-” she glanced to where Hannah had narrowed her eyes, “-the Cerberus.”

Blinking slowly, Charlie tried to sort out the chaotic mess of his friends.

“And Snape’s going to steal it!” Dean chimed in. “He’s been acting suspicious all year!” 

“You mean the Cerberus on the third floor is hiding the stone that can give people immortality?” Seeming to have just melted from the very shadows themselves, Lena tilted her head slightly to study them in the way a bird studied a bug to see if it was edible. “And you think that Snape is trying to steal it?... Interesting.”

He blinked slightly in surprise, frowning slightly. “What are you doing here?”

The girl’s face was blank, eyes a bright unnerving green. “Am I not allowed to read now? You lot were being so loud that I’m sure everyone in the library and their grandmother heard you, but go off I guess.”

“I bet you want to steal the stone for yourself now too!” Unsurprisingly it was Dean getting all up in defense, as he and Ron had been talking about the Slytherins and their ‘nasty snake-ness’ for a few weeks now.

Something dark and deeply amused crossed Lena’s face for a long moment before her face was once more a perfect picture of apathy. “I don’t see the purpose in trying to steal such a thing at the moment… and I doubt very much so that Snape would know where to even _ start _in stealing it, with the protections it’s behind.” The girl flashed him a grin, gliding by them as silently as a ghost. “But good luck with _whatever_ you think you're doing.”

The whole table was silent for a long moment.

Susan shivered. “I still think she’s a vampire.”

“Two galleons she’s part Veela,” Hannah muttered and the conversation quickly turned then to the rumors that always seemed to be surrounding the small girl with the green eyes.

Charles, however, was lost in thought- staring at where the girl had disappeared into the bookshelves.

_ For a second, in that moment of dark humor… Lena almost reminded him of his mom. _

  
  


Exams were… passible.

And yet even with her being pulled in every which direction- _talking to Janus and a few of the older Slytherins about the ministry and what she’d come to learn about their banning books and censoring the education system, staying up late to help the rest of the first years (and a few second years) study, keeping watch for anyone with nightmares or anxiety, and then doing her own tests-_ she still worried.

Charles and his friends thought Snape was after the stone and because they were children… they would do something about it. Then there was also the question about why Snape seemed to hate her and if he actually _was _after the Stone.

Hence why she was standing outside the Potions classroom, waiting for the NEWT students to get out of their test.

Janus was one of the first out, confident stride breaking for just the barest of seconds when he saw her, turning smoothly to stop in front of her as if he’d meant to come her way the entire time. “Lena? What are you doing here?”

“Am I not allowed to tell you that you did well?”

“The shade of the potion was off slightly. I might not get an O.”

Lena shook her head in amusement at his perfectionist nature. “Doesn’t matter. I’m still proud of you, no matter your grade. As of this moment, you’re officially done with finals!”

The boy blinked for a second, before leaning down to envelop her in a hug, and she stiffened for a second before letting herself relax and patting his back. He squeezed her slightly, voice a murmur. “Thank you, Lena. It means a lot.”

“And I came to terrorize Snape into telling me why he hates me.” The admission was muttered into the boy’s robes, lips quirking up slightly when he laughed and she could feel the vibrations through his chest. 

Pulling away, Janus grinned. “Then when you’re done, come to the Common Room. All of Slytherin is planning a surprise party and I don’t want you to kill anyone should we_ actually _ surprise you.”

Lena snickered softly. “I’ve known for a while. Blechly talks in his sleep and has a bad habit of sleeping in the common room.” At the boy’s exaggerated pout, she snorted and pushed him towards the end of the hall. “Now go on. I can’t very well terrorize a teacher with a Prefect around, can I?”

Chuckling, Janus bowed mockingly and then danced out of the way when she went to hex him, moving down the hallway with a grin. “See you later!”

“Miss Farland.” 

Looking to the doorway to the Potions Lab where Snape was standing like a vampire looming over his prey, she smiled thinly. “Snape. May I talk to you?”

“It’s _Professor_ Snape to you, Farland.”

“You’re not teaching me though.” She tilted her head. “You _ refused _to teach me, so I’m going to call you Snape, thankyouverymuch.” Waving her hand, she slipped past the man into the classroom to sit on one of the empty stools. “That’s not why I’m here though, as I could care less about learning potions from someone who won’t teach me anything. I’m here because I’m in your house and I think I deserve to know why you hate me.”

The man in the black robes seemed to startle. “I don’t-... I don’t hate you.”

Lena raised an eyebrow, but stayed silent, hoping he’d explain himself.

“I... My best friend in school had twins and made me the godfather of her daughter, even if her husband and I… didn’t get along. But then, as I am sure you have heard the story of the night the Dark Lord died, their family was broken. Split.” The man’s eyes looked away from her, seeming deeply sad. “Both James Potter and Helena Potter, my goddaughter… were lost. You... look a lot like her.”

“Oh." She supposed that she couldn't really blame the man for that. "I used to see Jack everywhere I went when he first died too... but I’m not her. And as you don’t hold any _ other _ stupid assumptions about me, then I think that we can come to a truce.”

She held out her hand.

Snape looked strangely at her, before scowling and taking her hand stiffly. “You still aren’t doing potions as long as I’m teaching in this school.”

Her lips quirked up, feeling they understood each other a bit better. “I wouldn’t expect as much.” Then with another moment, they both let go, and she slid off the stool. “And one more thing. Charles Potter and his friends think you’re trying to steal the Philosopher’s Stone. So if you are… good luck.” 

Grinning crookedly at the man’s surprise, she bounded out the door.

_ She had a party to go to. _

Amazingly, even with half the house of Slytherin drunk off their asses still from the mid-day party they’d thrown-_ trashing the Common Room in the process _\- they were able to drag everyone to the end-of-the-year feast.

Gemma Farley was keeping Janus upright, walking arm in arm with him while Blaise and Theo giggled as they supported each other in trailing after her, snickering to themselves about something she was sure had to be ridiculous. She motioned to Gemma, having the girl sit with the two boys who should_ not _have gotten anything to drink from the Quidditch team- _ she shot a glare to where Marcus was talking to his friends- _ and pulled Janus to sit at her side.

“You’re really… really pretty.”

Humming, she shoved the boy into his seat, sitting down and sighing. “I know.” Ignoring the boy’s snorting laughter, she turned to where the table filled with food, starting to make them both plates. “Eat, Janus.”

Grinning, the boy started to eat, his impeccable manners obviously dulled.

Lena rolled her eyes but looked to the Head Table when Dumbledore stood over the crowd and raised his hands. 

“Another year... gone. And now, as I understand it, the House Cup needs awarding and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with 340 points. In third place, Ravenclaw, with 358 points. In second place, Hufflepuff, with 426 points. And in first place, with 476 points, Slytherin!”

The table of snakes devolved into cheering and whooping and she silenced Janus from doing such a thing, eye twitching.

“Yes, yes, well done Slytherin- well done. However… recent events must be taken into account. I have a few last-minute points to award.” The headmaster’s twinkly eyes found her for a long second and she knew that the man had something up his long unfashionable sleeves. “To Miss Hermione Granger, for the cool use of intellect while others were in grave peril, 50 points!”

Ravenclaw cheered loudly, Lena spying the bushy-haired girl turn red, smiling so wide it looked almost comical. 

“Second, to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of chess that Hogwarts has seen these many years- fifty points!”

Gryffindor exploded, the Slytherins starting to realize where this was going.

“Third- to Mr. Charles Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Hufflepuff house sixty points.” Ignoring her tables grumbles, the Headmaster smiled. “Fourthly, ten points to Neville Longbottom, Hannah Abbot, and Susan Bones each, as it takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies... but just as much to stand up to our friends.”

Janus groaned loudly from her side and she elbowed him, ignoring the older boy as he slumped to hide his face in her shoulder.

Dumbledore then looked to her, his smile friendly. “And lastly, for the bravery to stand up to a Professor, looking prejudice in the face with never a single complaint… a _whopping_ three points to Miss Lena Farland.”

“And if you complain _now_, well, it’ll ruin it… Snape looks like he has a stick up his ass.” Janus murmured in her ear.

Smiling, unable to stop herself, she chuckled- putting her hand up to her mouth as she couldn’t stop laughing to herself at the stupidity of the whole situation. Finally calming, she shook her head and leaned back against the cool stone wall, smiling in a way that seemed to come easily at the Headmaster.

Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled. “Assuming that my calculations are correct, I believe a change in decoration is in order!” Clapping, the banners all changed to yellow and black, the house colors of the badgers. “Hufflepuff wins the House Cup!”

Looking to her snakes, she clapped lightly, the rest of the house frowning but following her lead.

Her eyes drifted to the empty seat of the Head Table, unable to stop herself.

_ It was too bad that Quirrell had gone crazy and attacked Charles for the fake stone she’d put in the mirror… she found she had quite liked him. _

  
  


Charles met his uncles in a big hug at the platform, his mother fretting over him with worried eyes when he finally pulled away, her voice a whisper. “Is it true? Was Voldemort really possessing your Defence teacher? Albus sent me a letter when you were in the hospital wing!”

Smiling at his mom, he glanced to where a girl with black hair and green eyes was scowling at three boys, but her eyes were happy. He smiled widely up at his mom. “Yeah. But I had help… Snape showed up in the nick of time thanks to Lena.”

“Who?”

“Lena. Lena Farland.” Pointing over to where Lena had been, he frowned slightly.

The Slytherins were still there, but Lena was gone.

“Who pup? I gotta see this girl who saved my nephew!” Sirius looked around, looking over every girl he could see.

Charles frowned. “She… must have left.”

Remus patted his shoulder, turning him around. “Well, you can tell us all about your year back at the Manor.”

And as fate would have it, Charles nodded, smiling at the thought of his house- right as Lena was walking out of Kings Cross dreading the thought of her own summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for a big snake, late-night conversations, barbed accusations, ice skating, and Tom Riddle?  
I know I am!  
^-^ I hope you're ready for this next year... it's going to be a wild ride ;)


	9. Exhibit A: An Unusual But Powerful Outlier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My baby's growing up so fast! Already in her second year!  
Yes, I did change the style of the chapter titles (in case you noticed), but I'm going to do that for every 'new year' :)  
Anywho- Enjoy!

After nine months at Hogwarts with over fifty peers that not only looked up to her but respected her space, going back to St. Jude’s was like someone that had gotten used to living in a mansion being forced to live in a straw shack.

That was to say... it sucked.

Lena had used a bit of mind magic to cajole the Matron into submission about her leaving twice a week to spend all day at the library, but the amount of magic even that had used left her feeling weary for a good day.

She figured though that magic was like a muscle and she’d been using the lightest weights she could (her wand), thus it having gotten weak. And as she wasn’t allowed to do wand magic outside Hogwarts anyway, it gave her plenty of time to practice her spells wandlessly. Like levitating books in front of her as she read, knocking back the boys who thought she’d forget she didn’t like them because she had been gone, and transfiguring many many types of arachnids and serpents to scare the other girls who thought they could go through her trunk- much less get in.

It was little surprise to her when the librarian, Miss Darin, asked her about helping out around the library in turn for a bit of pocket money- and with a bit of mind control on the Matron, she was out of the orphanage five out of seven days a week.

_ Though she brought her shrunken trunk with her, of course, as she didn’t know how magical locks would hold up to determined muggle brats with hateful grudges. _

  
  


Charles, his mum, and Remus stared at the house-elf.

Sirius gaped at the house-elf.

“Mr. Charles Potter must not go back to Hogwarts this year! There is a plot! A plot to make most terrible things happen!”

“What horrible things?” Uncle Remus’ voice was steady, kind. “Can you tell us?”

The house-elf’s eyes widened, swaying slightly as it gripped at its ears and it muttered under its breath, looking distressed.

“Barmy little thing.” Sirius scowled.

Charles kicked his uncle, glaring. He knew that the man had no love for the creatures, as he had too many bad memories associated with them, but this house-elf was obviously distressed. Looking at the elf, he sighed. “Dobby, Hogwarts is like my second home, and- well- all my friends are there.”

Next thing he knew, Remus’ birthday cake was in his mom’s face and Sirius was chasing the small elf around as it popped from place to place, yelling about ‘great evil’ and ‘horrible danger’.

_ Okay, so maybe it was a bit barmy after all. _

  
  


“So… you thought you could just barge into my room like that and what? See me undressed?”

Lena was half-dressed, a white button-down hanging down just enough to cover her plain black panties, a skirt lying on the bed that she’d been just about to put on. One of the buttons at the bottom of her shirt wasn’t done, and her small fingers were wrapped around the boy’s throat tightly, eyes narrowed.

Sam Mason- bully, creep, and altogether _miscreant _of St. Judes- shook his head. “I- I just wanted to- to… it was a dare!”

“I bet.” Her voice was dry, eyes narrowing. “And what was this dare?”

“To… to rip up your clothes be-because they- they’re all nice! And none of _ us _got clothes like that!”

She sneered. “That’s because you're pig-headed _ morons_.” Her other hand was curled around his wrist like a vice, the switchblade the boy had been holding falling to the floor. Tilting her head, she spoke slowly in a voice that was honey-sweet and that seemed to terrify the boy even more. “Now, let’s see if we can’t give you a bit of a… _ warning_.”

The knife levitated into the air, the boy paling as she used a glamour to make her eyes seem red. “You-you're-” 

Letting go of the boy and grinning widely as he stumbled back in sheer terror, she gave a low and cold laugh. “You better run… Or my new pocket knife might just slit your throat in the middle of the night…”

The moron ran for his life- and if he tripped at the top of the stairs ‘accidentally’, falling down and breaking his shoulder, then she was on the other side of the building reading calmly.

However, she still got sent to the cellar for four days without any food.

Lena really was glad that she’d stocked up on food from Hogwarts in her potions compartment of her trunk.

_ Happy birthday Lena, _ she thought with a bitter smile and closed her eyes as she leaned back against the cold stone of the cellar, _ just wait a little longer- you’re almost through the summer. _

“So I was thinking about maybe seeing if there was some way the Stone could bring you back, but after reading the section on Infiri in my book of magical creatures, I decided that you’d be angry with me should I bring you back as a shambling zombie.” Lena looked up at the sky, back pressed against the cool gravestone. “Vlad- the guy who runs the bookstore you sent me too- he threatened to ban me from the store if I asked again about necromancy.”

The wind played with her hair softly, the graveyard silent.

“I’m not supposed to be here. Matron forbade me from coming to see you today in fact, but I think that I have enough food rationed out to be fine if she shuts me in the cellar again, as there was no way in hell I was going to miss talking to you.”

She looked down at the flowers in her hand, pulling off a petal and letting it float to the ground. “Jack?" The name was bittersweet on her lips, pulling off another flower petal and watching as the wind took hold of it. "I’m sorry I didn’t go back to that mirror again before it was moved. I just… I didn’t know how I could keep pretending I was fine if I saw you again.”

There was no response- not that she was expecting one.

“I scared the piss out of Sam a couple of weeks ago. He didn’t really do anything and yet I broke his shoulder… does that make me a bad person Jack? Would you have smiled and told me that I was right?” She huffed softly, closing her eyes. “I thought I was done with being a monster- I made friends and everything!... but you never really escape it, do you?”

Her clenched hands dug into the flowers, ripping them apart in an accurate representation of what she felt her heart must look like, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

“I miss you… and- and please forgive me for-... for what I’ve become.”

Diagon Alley was packed with more people than she’d ever seen on any given day, so when she spotted Theo in the crowd, she immediately headed for him. Lena caught his arm with a stiff half-smile- _ as her use of facial expressions had been between glares and sarcastic smirks all summer. _“Theo. Good to see you.”

The boy seemed to have grown an inch or two over the past few months, showing exactly how tiny her figure was. “Lena? I didn’t think you’d be out like this. Did the warden let you off with early leave?” The boy grinned a little meanly.

_ Guess they both hadn’t practiced smiling for a few months. _

“Yes, well I’m afraid she didn’t have much of a choice.”

She was looking around, about to suggest heading into the bookshop- _ as if was already crowded and she wanted to get her books so she could go to Knockturn- _ when a man stepped to Theo’s side and fixed her under sharp eyes. “And who are you?”

“Lena Farland, sir.” Holding out her hand, she dropped it when the man only looked at in contempt. Sighing slightly, she spotted a familiar boy and unhooked her arms from Theo’s, winding through the crowd easily before the boy could say anything and stopped right in front of Blaise. “Please tell me that _you _are willing to get the textbooks with me so I can go down Knockturn? Theo’s father figure is being a priss.”

The boy blinked. 

The woman behind him though had no such surprise and chuckled slightly. “You must be this ‘Lena’ I’ve heard so much about!” Madame Zabini’s gaze was just as critical as the other man’s, but instead of a glare, the woman sent her an edged grin. “You’re even _ more _ stunning than my son mentioned.”

“Mom...” The boy looked resigned to his fate of being embarrassed, sighing deeply, before turning to her and changing the subject. “This year’s defense textbooks are worthless and I know you already either have the rest of the books or don’t need them, so why don’t we just head to the _ other _bookstore?”

“Sounds good to me.” Taking the boy’s hand, as she had yet to return to the state of comfort with touch that Hogwarts promoted and wanted to get a head start, she moved through the crowd exchanging nods with other Slytherins while talking quietly with Blaise.

Once inside the second-hand bookshop that she suspected was run by a Niffler who had been cursed into the form of a man because of the number of books he hoarded, she gave a nod to the grizzled figure at the counter. “Vlad. What’ve you got for me today?”

Grinning with teeth that had seen better years, the man ambled over to a nearby shelf. “Lena, Lena, Lena… always asking for the harder books to find… you’ve given me quite the time looking for all your different books. Maybe you will consider-”

“I’m not giving you my hair so you can pretend to be a twelve-year-old girl Vlad. Just sell me the damn books I want.” 

Wheezing with dry laughter that sounded like it hurt, the man took out a stack of six books. “Ancient runes from Greece, warding spells you shouldn’t show anyone, a book on legitimacy and occlumency, animagus transformations, alchemy, and a very _ particular _ journal from-”

Lena narrowed her eyes.

With a smile, the man tapped his nose. “Ah. Right. Secrets are a girl’s best friend after all… fifty galleons.”

Before she could reach for her money pouch, an elegant hand was holding out a thin card made from silver, Madame Zabini smiling at her as if curious. “I will pay. You are my son’s first friend, after all.” 

“What- did he kill the rest?” She snarked but didn’t complain about the woman’s charity. _ If the woman wanted to spend money on her, that was her choice. _

Blaise snickered. “I thought you might come back as a ghost to haunt me, should I try to kill you.”

Lena snorted softly. “I think Janus and Theo would do much of the haunting for me.”

The door opened, Theo bounding in. “There you are!”

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” She muttered softly to Blaise as Theo moved to her side. “You took longer than I expected. You missed Vlad trying to spill all my secrets and Blaise threatening my death.”

Theo looked to Blaise, then tilted his head. “Then why is he still alive?”

Lena grinned sharply, shrinking the books wandlessly and putting them in her pocket, turning Theo and herself around and ignoring everyone else watching them. “I like to let him think he has a chance. Might be fun. Though I'll have to look up magical poisons when I get to school.”

“Fun research project. Where to next, oh Queen of Snakes?”

“I need chocolate and to talk to the goblins about the price they’re charging me for bulk shipping, as I had the time to research chocolate prices and if they just bought Cadbury chocolate bars…” Scowling, not about to get into the full rant here of all places, she shook her head. “Anyway. Why _ were _ you late?”

The boy gave her a slight pout as they started out of the shop and into the alley. “Not that you ever gave me an exact time to show up, but... the Quidditch team. They all managed to stop me at different times and ask about your summer. And I had to tell them all that I don’t know because I hadn’t seen you because you won’t tell anyone the name of your orphanage!”

Lena shrugged. _More like none of them remembered the beginning_ _of last year when she had said the name clearly. _“I just call it ‘Hell’. Plus, I don’t want any of my snakes anywhere near that place. It would give them nightmares.”

“Hence why someone should be looking out for you.” A tall form stepped in her path, Janus Carr grinning from where he was wearing nice ministry robes. “Now… are you in possession of anything I should worry about?”

Giving the boy a crooked half-smile, she chuckled darkly and decided not to mention she had a switchblade in her pocket that she’d been practicing her aim with all summer. “Always. What are you going to do about it?”

Pulling her into a hug, the boy smiled at Theo and Blaise, nodding to their parents. “Worry. What else do I do when you’re concerned?”

Shrugging, she smiled a bit easier at having her whole court with her and changed the topic to something more pleasant as they walked through Diagon Alley.

  
  


“LILY! SOMETHING’S WRONG WITH THE FLOO!” Sirius’ voice drifted to Charlie’s ears where his mom was helping him pack.

Sighing, aggravated, Lily Potter looked to where Remus was lingering worriedly. “Go help Pads, won't you Moony?”

"Sure." With a quick smile, the man moved to the door, ruffling Charlie’s hair as he went.

Finishing packing and getting his new owl, Hedwig, in her cage, Charlie walked downstairs where Remus and Sirius both had pinched looks on their faces. He sighed. “Dobby again?”

“Barmy fucking elf.” Sirius looked as if he wanted to hex something.

“Stop it, Sirius.” His mother moved to put his trunk to the side. “Since you have an Auror’s license, you can apparate into Hogwarts grounds and I’m sure Dumbledore will understand, so you can go close to when the train will get there.”

The man sniffed but nodded. “Fine.”

Remus just smiled. “It gives us a few more hours with Charlie anyway.”

  
  


Lena had spent all of the train ride over talking to different Slytherins that came to see her, having a long talk with Marcus Flint before finally determining him worthy of filling Janus’ rather large shoes as the crownless King in her court. Janus, of course, would be above Marcus outside of school but for now, she needed to make sure the basic positions were filled. Not to mention the rest of the Snakes liked Marcus, Quiddich Captain as he was.

The carriage ride had been spent discussing with the others and deciding to let Hestia Carrow, Flora Carrow, and Daphne Greengrass join the court as well. 

She didn’t mention to anyone she could see the thestrals, as she was sure they could guess as such. Nor did she mention the fact she was dreading the year’s defense lessons, as she could already tell the golden-haired pretty-boy wasn’t going to teach her shit, but by Theo’s groan and Blaise’s frown, they were thinking the same thing.

Hestia and Flora accepted their positions easily but politely turned down sitting with the Court as they wanted to sit with their own group of friends. Daphne, however, moved immediately with an eager look in her eyes. 

_ Probably to get away from Malfoy and his goons. _

“If I’m royal fashion police then what is Daph going to be?” Blaise leaned on the girl slightly, chin in his hand.

“Hexing you if you don’t stop leaning on me.” Snapping at the boy, who grinned and backed off, Daphne looked to her. “Since Lena’s already stolen the title of ‘Ice Queen’, I’ll be the _ ‘Wicked Temptress’ _ of the court.”

Lena nodded- _ the girl was quite pretty, with her long blonde hair and crystal blue eyes- _but then tilted her head. “Ice Queen? Who calls me such a thing?”

Marcus grinned. “Mostly the other houses. They’re convinced you’re a different race, you’re so indifferent and cool all the time.”

_ One reason she liked Marcus? He was very to-the-point. _

Humming softly, she turned to the front when the sorting of the first years started. Bridget Brook, Ruman Harper, Dallia Grace were all sorted easily enough with polite clapping from the table, but when one ‘Ginevra Weasley’ was sorted into Slytherin, no one clapped. 

Looking absolutely terrified as she sat down at the very far end of the table, the small redhead opened a black journal, pulling out a quill and jotting down something quickly. 

Lena raised an eyebrow at the three across from her. 

Blaise looked to the others, licking his lips and looking away.

“She’s a blood traitor. A muggle and muggle-born sympathizer. Plus her family’s one of the light ones… I don’t- She shouldn’t have gotten sorted into Slytherin.” It was Marcus who answered her, tone slow, knowing he was talking about a touchy subject.

Standing up, she glared at the others, voice just above a venomous hiss. “Stay _ here_.”

Then she walked down the aisle to where Ginevra Weasley sat and took a seat across from the girl. “Ginvera, right?”

“Ginny.” The girl snapped, as if instinctual, before peering up at her as if realizing how rude that had been and closing the black journal in front of her slowly. “I- sorry- just… my mom calls me that and I hate it. So… it’s just Ginny.”

She held out her hand. “Lena Farland.” When the girl took her hand and shook it slightly, she tilted her head. “So why in all hells would you want to be sorted here? Didn’t you ask the hat for a house that would accept you easier… or do you like a challenge? Because you look terrified and snakes smell fear.”

Flinching just slightly, the girl looked down and shrugged. “I-... I asked for anything but Gryffindor because- well- all my brothers are in that house and… and it put me _here. _ I didn’t _ want _ to be in the house of-”

“Be careful what you say about my house, Ginny.” Her eyes narrowed. “Should you accept this is your house now.... then I can offer you something akin to a family, but should you bring anything negative or destructive to this house… well it will not be the first time Slytherin has outcasted one of their own.” 

_ Lena decided not to mention that it was her that had gotten outcasted last time around. _

Swallowing thickly, the girl nodded slowly. “I- I accept... I guess I’m a Slytherin now...” 

Taking her hand, she put a Hershey’s chocolate into the girl’s palm. “Good. Let me know if anyone bothers you about being a ‘blood traitor’ or whatever else nonsense they decide to spout and I’ll remind them _ painfully _ that not only I am a muggle-born but their _ Queen_.” Standing and smoothing out her skirt, she nodded at the girl who was gaping at her. “Maybe, should you show promise, there will be a place for you not just _ in _ Slytherin but in the court that _ rules _Slytherin.”

Blaise looked at her curiously when she sat down. “What did she feel like?”

“Like fire.” Lena’s grin was bright and a bit manic, remembering the flickering heat against her skin. “She will either be great or something dangerous… and I will make sure she takes the path that _ I _want when she makes that choice.”

The group around her shivered, looking at the girl down at the end of the table writing in what must have been her diary with a mix of pity and curiosity.

  
  


Charles would never get used to the feeling of apparation.

Steadying himself on one of the walls of the main entrance to Hogwarts, he blinked to stop his world from spinning, ignoring Sirius’ loud exclamations of how much he’d 'missed the old castle’.

“Come on the pup! This way!” Sirius started to bound down the hall, seeming to embody the nature of his animagus form, Charlie having to run after him to keep up.

“Wait! Siri! Don’t you want to leave me here?”

The man stopped outside the great doors, grinning at him. “And miss embarrassing you in front of the whole school? Why would I do that?”

Then before Charlie could even groan or even threaten him with telling Remus something that would get him in trouble, the man pushed open the heavy doors and strolled in with a big smile on his face as he strolled down the aisle. “Albus! It’s been years!” His uncle then winked at McGonagall. “And Minnie- you’re looking good as always!”

“Sirius, my boy.” Dumbledore stood with a smile to the man, as if he was like a son. “I see you have gotten Mr. Potter here safely, thank you for that. Would you like to stay for dinner?”

“We don’t have enough room, Headmaster.” Snape’s chilling voice was glacial, the man glaring at his uncle.

Sirius chuckled, waving his hand. “Oh Severus, always with that stick up your-”

“Sirius Black!” McGonagall’s eyes were sharp but she looked fond of his uncle underneath her frown. “You are not around your Auror buddies, you are around _ children_!”

Charlie sighed and moved to poke the man. “I’m going to go sit. You might just want to get home. Mum and Remmy’ll be waiting for you anyway and you know how they get.” He knew it wasn’t nice of him to play that card, as the three of them always got paranoid when one of the others wouldn’t check in- hence them all living in Potter Manor- but he also knew someone would hex Sirius if he stayed any longer.

Smile wavering a bit, the man ruffled his already messy hair. “Yeah, good foresight kid. I’ll go back.” The man looked around, eyes widening when they landed somewhere and Charles looked over to see he’d spotted Ginny.

Wearing Slytherin robes.

As his object permanence was a bit spotty, Sirius bounded over to the table of snakes, smiling at Ginny. “Hey, little Gin!”

Charlie sighed and sat down next to Neville while keeping an eye on the man.

The youngest of the Weasley family seemed to mutter something, Sirius laughing brightly. “Disown you! Never! I’m sure Molly and Arthur will be proud you’re in the prestigious house of snakes!” The slight lilt to his tone held hidden weight as if he didn’t really mean what he was saying, but then a kinder more real smile came over his face as he leaned forward to put a hand on the girl’s head. “And if they do, you’re always welcome with us honorary-Potters. I’m sure Lils would love to have another girl around.” 

The girl ducked her head but nodded.

“Peachy!” Turning back to look at Charlie, the man beamed. “I have to go, but remember to write kid or Lily might just storm the castle!” Chuckling, the whirlwind that was Sirius Black left with just as much of a presence as he’d come.

  
  


“Welcome to Slytherin.” Marcus grinned at the first years. “You are now part of the esteemed house of Salazar Slytherin and it would be in your best interest to make this house proud, as you will not be able to leave for seven years. There are only five rules: One- house unity comes before all things and since as a house you will be looked down upon by most of the other houses, we must present a united front. Two- any in-house conflicts must be dealt with in-house. Duels or bickering outside the common room will lead to punishments. Three- don’t get caught. Even if you do something, as long as you don’t get caught or it isn't harmful to another's wellbeing, then we don’t care. Four- deals made in-house are binding. Five- no means _ no _.”

There were no laughs at the last sentence this time around, as she’d had a long talk the year before about history and how horrible a deed sexual assault was, and that anyone she knew of that did anything like it she would literally find and kill them.

_ Terror was a good motivator, but she’d still given out chocolate and been kind to those who had been made to understand, as they then knew that she was not threatening them but promising retribution for her house. _

“Our Head of House, Professor Snape has a few rules of his own.”

Sweeping out from one of the bigger areas of shadow, Snape looked down at the first years from his slightly hooked nose. “Meals are mandatory unless you are sick or you have a very good excuse… keep your living spaces clean, as none of us are your maids, and finally, Slytherin is a family and family stands _ together _.” The man looked to where she was sitting in her armchair by the fire, nodding, and then retreating to his office.

Standing, she opened her arms with a crooked half-smile. “I am Lena Farland, but everyone calls me Lena, as I have no other name. I was raised in a muggle orphanage and still find some parts of muggle culture particularly useful, like their fictional novels. I am also Slytherin Queen, Crowned Ruler of the Court, so if you have a problem then speak up now.”

“How are _ you _Queen?” One of the boys- Ruman Harper- spoke up with a sneer. “You’re nothing more than some puny second year that-” The boy’s voice cut off, his mouth moving but nothing coming out.

Lena tilted her head. “I’m listening...”

Turning red, the boy tried to speak, before just moving to try to dig out his wand in a fit of anger. 

Before he could, she was behind him, her switchblade to his throat. Humming, she held up a small green crystal with her other hand, voice musing. “This… is your voice, trapped in a crystal. Forever, if I so felt like it.” She grinned like a shark, leaning against his back to let her whisper drift into his ear. “I wonder what it would be like to live without a voice…”

The boy went deathly still.

“Do you still think that blood or age matters when you don’t have the power to back it up?”

Harper shook his head quickly. 

Pulling back, she flipped her switchblade closed and dropped the crystal to the floor, watching it shatter and hearing the boy gasp. Her eyes then drifted to Blaise. “I think that Janus might storm the castle if he found out I had been learning to use knives… so this will not reach his ears until at least Halloween. Got it?”

“Don’t want him to worry over whether or not you cut yourself practicing with that knife?” The boy smirked, lounging on the arm of Theo’s chair.

“I cut myself plenty of times learning to twirl my knives- _ plural- _in between my fingers like I do my wand, so no... I just don’t want him to hear him whine about being safe. It’s annoying.”

“Lena.” Theo sighed. “Why in Merlin’s name would you want to learn to twirl knives if you’re going to hurt yourself in the process?”

Slinking over to her chair, she grinned sharply. “I was locked in the cellar for more than a few days. What _ else _ was I going to do?” Ignoring the indignation on half of the room’s faces, she cut her finger lightly and then wiggled her eyebrows as she healed it wandlessly. “Plus, it was good practice.”

Marcus snorted, shaking his head. “You’re insane.”

“So I’ve been told.” She looked back to where the first-years were still staring at her, the one kid’s face still pale, and threw a chocolate bar at him to which he fumbled to catch. “I’m not mean, but if you start a fight with me or mine then prepare for me to end it, one way or another. Really the only rule I keep is to keep an open mind. Other than that, if you have a question and your friends can’t answer it, I probably can. If you have a nightmare or just can’t sleep, then come down here and I’ll either be around to talk to or to read stories if there’s a significant group up. On Thursdays and Sundays, I sleep in my own bed, but on those nights I leave chocolate out just in case."

The first-years seemed to relax just a bit at her lax behavior.

"That’s it. You’re all dismissed to do whatever you want.” Most of the students moved to their rooms, probably going to unpack their trunks, and Lena stood up and stretched. “Sunday. I’m off to bed.”

Daphne smiled softly at her. “Goodnight Lena.”

More than a few of the house still in the common room echoed the sentiment.

Setting down a couple of bars of chocolate on the table, she headed for the stairs. “Goodnight my snakes… Sleep well.”

Herbology was interesting, but as the mandrake screams were far too loud to converse and left her with a headache, she found the class altogether boring.

Lena was already a bit of the way into the very detailed book on how Occlumency worked and could be used- _ which was much better in instruction than the other books she’d tried to read before in the restricted section _\- she was reading intently through some of the parts on legilimency to see if it was much different than the hypnotic type of suggestions she’d been using all summer when the Defence Teacher stormed the room with a white toothy smile and an enormous ego.

Ignoring him, she went back to her book. 

_ Maybe the reason her ‘suggestive mind control’ (as she liked to call it in her head) wasn’t all that powerful was because of the lack of focus… she hadn’t been using her wand and she already knew that where her raw force of magic could overcome most things- that such things like fire spells and precise transfiguration spells weren’t focused enough to be controllable. _

“Miss- er- Farland, is it?” The Professor stopped by her. “I passed out a test, so why don’t you put that book away before I take points, and get to writing!”

_ Well, this was as good a chance as any to test out her theory. _

Lena looked up from her book, casually resting her hand on her wand that was sitting atop her book, thankfully already pointed towards the man. Staring at the man in the eyes, she pushed her magic though her wand. “I have _ permission _to ignore your blathering on about yourself, Professor, as I’m doing self-study this year... isn’t that right?”

“Lena…” Daphne leaned a little into her side, the girl’s voice a worried whisper.

The man stared at her, eyes a bit unfocused even if his too-white smile never left his face. “That-... Right…” Blinking, the man smiled wider, waving her off. “I must have forgotten in the heat of the moment, getting to mentor all you young raw talent!”

Smirking as the man then started to ramble on about something else, completely forgetting his purpose for her, she grinned at Daphne. “Yeah Daph?”

“You…” The girl looked awed. “Did you just do that?”

Blaise and Theo who were next to them were watching closely and she just shrugged. “Perhaps.”

The three of her court members all shared looks, as that was as close to a confession as they were going to get. Theo looked at her with pleading eyes. “Can you do it for me?”

“I’ll lend you the book afterward for you to learn yourself.”

They both knew Theo was barely passible at Occlumency and the boy sighed deeply. “At least help us pass exams? 

Lena raised an eyebrow at the boy, huffing. “As _ if _I’d let you fail them, Theodore.” 

She got the vague sense the boy was either about to cry or ask her to marry him- when Lockhart had to be stupid enough to release a full cage of Cornish Pixies onto the classroom of first years.

_ Idiot. _

_ Even with all the mind control in the world, she wouldn’t be able to grow Lockhart a brain. _

Leaning back in her seat, she got out her wand, picking off the small blue creatures with body-binding spells. “What a pain… at least it’s good target practice.”

Daphne and the boys stayed next to her, doing the same spell with less immediate results, but still- by the end of the period she and her Court were able to do the spell with their eyes closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just so excited for Tommy boy to show up (^-^) Soooooon!  
Why do I feel like this song is such a big mood for this whole story? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTGrE20-qWg (pardon my music taste if it's not your jam and jelly)  
Okay loves! Sleep time for me because two hours of sleep last night makes a not-fully-awake Mango!  
G'night!


	10. Exhibit B: Bloody Writing On The Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS IS OPEN!  
(this year will be a bit shorter, as there are only a few things that are crucial to the plot, but the third and fourth year will be longer)  
^-^ So happy! I can't wait for this story to really get its feet off the ground!

Apparently, the Gryffindors were mad at Slytherin again and of course, she was to blame- because who _else _was a good target?

Lena put her head in her hands, rubbing at her eyes and feeling the headache from the long day come back with a vengeance. Coming from a long and tiring lesson in Runes, she had _ not _expected to be hexed in the back by a group of Gryffindors and was only a hair of self-control away from sticking her knife in the boy when two red-haired twins had undone the spell to make her hair bright blue and thanked her for being nice to their sister. 

She had nodded and taken some of her time to tell the Weasley twins named Fred and George about the friends Ginny was slowly making as they walked her to the Common Room while also having a conversation on the History of Hogwarts.

Though she wasn't all that pleased with _why _the Gryffindors had tried to hex her.

“Marcus. Are you really telling me you not only accepted an obvious bribe from Lord Malfoy without even checking to see if Draco was a suitable seeker, but you _ also _ decided to try to steal the Gryffindor’s time slot for practice _ and _flaunted your accepted bribe in their face?”

The Quidditch team, who she had stopped as soon as they got into the Common Room, shifted uneasily. 

They were still sweaty and gross, but she was far too irritated to care, narrowing her eyes and putting her hands on her hips. “Anything _ else _you want to share with me?” 

Adrian Puecy muttered something and when she put a hand to her ear, he said it again a bit louder in a mumble. “Draco- he called Granger a Mudblood.”

“And when my brother tried to curse Malfoy, the idiot cursed himself because he somehow accidentally snapped his wand on the train.” Ginny Weasley spoke up from the side of the common room, eyes curious as she watched them.

“_Wonderful_.” The boys flinched at her venomous tone. Turning, she looked at the fire and tried to control her temper. “Did you know I stopped a murder today?”

“Um- how…” Pucey sounded unsure. “How did you do that?”

She snarled back at them. “_Self-control.” _

The room was silent as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 

Rubbing at her temples, she sighed. “Okay. Here’s how this is going to play out. Everyone already knows you have the brooms, so hiding them isn’t an option anymore, but you _ will _ hold tryouts and show that Draco _ is _ the best and not just a pretty face with money.” Draco frowned at the floor, but she disregarded him for the moment. “I will try to fix things with Ron, but Malfoy will have to apologize to Granger himself. And _ because _you lot are content to give me worse migraines than I have been having I will be sleeping in my room for the next three nights.”

That got a few glares from the members of the house she knew relied on having late-night talks with her to not think about their nightmares, Flora and Hestia scowling as she knew they’d been planning to ask her about studying Occlumency late at night and would have to postpone.

“Go shower.” When the group started to shuffle, off she fixed a smaller blonde with a stern look. “Not you Draco. Come here.”

Swallowing thickly, the boy approached where she was standing next to the fire. “Y- yes?”

Her gaze softened slightly, voice quiet so their conversation was harder to overhear. “Are you still getting dreams about your father?” When the boy blinked, she gave him a half-smile. “I do read all the entries in the notebook I leave out when I’m not around.”

“Oh, well… I- I don’t-” Malfoy shifted uncomfortably. “I can prove myself. And- and making Seeker will do just that!”

“Maybe. I’m sure that you’ll get Seeker, but I’m not sure that your father will automatically change if you do.” Reaching up to put a hand on the taller boy’s head, she gave a wide grin and messed up his already wind-swept hair. “As much as I think you need to find an identity that’s not an exact copy of your father’s because you irritate me sometimes… you’re a good kid Draco and I know that you have a wicked sense of humor when you’re not trying to emulate some pompous prat. So my advice is that you use a bit less hair gel and think about what being in the Slytherin family means to you.”

Draco’s lips wobbled for a second before he pressed them into a thin line, nodding.

Lena caught his arm. “Come on. Give me a hug you idiot.”

Pulled into a tight hug, the boy silently crying as he hid his face in her robes, she sighed and patted his back awkwardly. “I’m not doing this next time you screw up- puppy dog eyes or not.”

The boy laughed wetly, nodding into her shoulder, and hugging her tighter.

_ God help her. _

_ She wasn't made to deal with comforting people. _

The next morning and the start of the weekend found her in ripped jeans and an oversized hoodie that she’d stolen from one of the older boys in the Orphanage (she'd had to clean it thoroughly to get the smell of cigarettes out of the fabric though).

Draco raised an eyebrow at her clothing choices but knew better than to question her. “Do… I have to?”

“Yup.” Hooking arms with him, she smiled at the others. “I’ll meet you at the table.” Dragging Draco through the halls, she just ignored the other students staring at the picture they probably made, stopping right by the Ravenclaw table.

The boy looked at her, grimaced, and then turned to where Hermione was glaring at them poisonous. Stepping away from Lena, the boy bowed slightly, completely shocking the Ravenclaws into silence. “I am sorry for what I said…” Draco looked down at his feet, pursing his lips for a second. “I’m friends with Lena but- but I wasn’t thinking and-”

Lena elbowed him.

“Sorry.” Draco looked at Hermione steadily, if not with a hint of guilt in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Did you make him do this?” Hermione looked at her, ignoring the boy for the moment.

Lena shrugged. “Does it matter whether I did or not if he’s truly sorry?”

This made the girl frown for a second before she shook her head slowly and looked to Draco with disapproving eyes. “Next time you do it, _ I _might just curse you instead of Ron.”

“Good. He’ll deserve it.” Then with a grin to the boy who gave her a look out of the corner of his eye, she grinned and shrugged. “I speak naught but the truth, blondie. Now go eat something. You know Flint’s going to run you ragged at trials and though you may have donated brooms to Slytherin doesn’t mean you’re automatically in.”

Draco huffed slightly, but nodded and started for the table.

“Lena?”

She blinked and turned to look at Hermione, who smiled softly. “Thank you.”

Watching the girl for a long moment, face blank, she nodded. “Of course.” Then before the girl could respond, she turned on her heel and stalked to the Gryffindor table, stopping by the second years. 

The table glared at her, even if she paid it no mind.

Reaching past one of the annoying girls who were obsessed with talking loudly about their ‘pretty clothing’ during Charms, she set down a small stack of gallons in front of Ron Weasley.

“Wha- you-” The boy gaped at her.

“Get a new wand. Next time Draco says anything rude about muggle-borns you can actually curse him for being an idiot so _ I _ don’t have to.” She grinned sharply. “It takes way too much time and effort to _ properly _ torture someone here.” Winking, she sauntered back to the Slytherin table.

Lena must have fallen asleep reading, because it was slightly dark outside when she awoke, though the Common Room was empty.

_ Must be a peaceful night... _ she checked the time, eyes widening… _ or dinnertime! _

Cursing silently, she got up for her seat and started to put her stuff away hastily, before spotting a note.

~

_ Lena, _

_ I talked to Professor Snape and because you’ve been getting migraines, he agreed that you should rest during this time. _

_ Hopefully, you don’t wake and freak out when we’re all still gone, but… well, it’s alright. You’re not in trouble and all the others agree that with your crazy schedule and staying up late- you deserve a break. _

_ Theo. _

_ ~ _

Sighing slightly, she moved to sit back down when a voice drifted to her ears. ** _:Blood… I smell_ ****_blood… Let me kill you… Kill... Kill! KILL!...:_ **

Eyes widening, as she knew the sibilant tones of parseltongue anywhere, she forwent her books to run for the entrance to the common room, following the sound of echoing hisses to a hallway when they died off too much for her to hear them. 

Though she frowned down at where water had made the floor slick-_ probably some bathroom being messed with by Peeves- _ she continued to where a section of hallway seemed better lit, stopping to stare at the wall.

Written on the wall were letters that looked to be made from blood. 

**The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir… beware.**

Blinking slightly, as she remembered the Baron had told her only parselmouths could open the chamber and she didn’t think anyone else in the school was one, she then noticed that a cat was hanging from its tail on the wall.

Miss Norris, the demon cat of the grumpy squib that roamed the halls, to be exact.

Lost in her thoughts, she realized far too late that the students were coming out of the Great Hall and she looked to be in the worst position possible.

“Lena?” Blaise looked at her with wide eyes, starting to move forward, but a flick of her hand had his shoes sticking to the floor.

_ No need to implicate more than one Slytherin in this mess. _

“What’s going on here! Make way! Make way!” Filch scowled as he saw her, as he’d never agreed with her being able to roam the hallways late at night without punishment. “Farland. What are you-” Then his eyes drifted behind her and she knew he’d seen his cat.

“Mr. Filch-”

“Miss Norris! You _murdered_ my _cat_!”

Whispers started up and she sighed under her breath but didn’t dare show anything on her face, even with the headache that she was getting. 

“I’ll kill you. I’LL _ KILL YOU _ !” The man grabbed the front of her robes and she just stared at him blankly, as he was grieving and she doubted he would _actually _harm her. 

“Argus! Argus what-” Dumbledore made his way through the crowd, pausing when he noticed the scene they made, taking in everything as the twinkle faded from his eyes. “Everyone… please go back to their dormitories. Everyone _ except _Miss Farland.”

Slowly the people started to move and she silently released her sticking charm on Blaise’s shoes, sending him a look that meant _ ‘do as you’re told’. _

"She-" Filch waved his hand at her shakily. "She killed my cat!"

“Miss Norris isn't dead, Argus. She’s been petrified.” Dumbledore’s tone was grim as if this was horrible news- worse than death.

Lockhart appeared with his shiny grin. “Ah! Thought so! So unlucky I wasn’t there, as I know the exact counter-curse that could have spared her!” The man shifted a bit under the Headmaster’s unimpressed stare, sending her a blinding smile instead.

Dumbledore looked at the wall as if it was some long-forgotten memory. “But as for how she has been petrified… I cannot say.”

_ Or you won’t. _

Lena would have bet a thousand bucks that the old man knew there was a snake in the castle that could… 

_ Fuck. _

_ There was a basilisk in the castle and she-... _

Pausing, she looked to where all the teachers were glancing at her out of the corners of their eyes, obviously suspicious. 

_ She couldn’t tell anyone. _

_ Because they would assume she was the one to open the Chamber of Secrets. _

_ And she would be expelled, or more likely… arrested. _

Apparently, in her brief moment of spacing-out, she had been getting accused by Filch. Looking at Dumbledore, she didn’t bother to try to lie, just _omit _a few things. “I had fallen asleep and just gotten up to try to catch the end of dinner, but as for an alibi goes, mine is circumstantial at best, as well as my being in Slytherin- who made the Chamber of Secrets… so what is going to happen now?”

_ At least it was better than admitting something that would turn the whole Wizarding community against her. _

“Miss Farland.” Dumbledore sighed, moving forward. “I will, until you are cleared of these accusations, have to take away your title as Assistant Staff. The only privilege that still remains is having your own room.”

Nodding, she took off the silver bracelet and gripped onto it for a long second before letting it fall into the man’s hand. “Very well, but you don’t have any evidence against me, so if you will excuse-”

“Do you have anything to tell me?” The Headmaster’s voice was soft as if guessing what she’d say and knowing it would be a lie but making himself say it anyway. “Anything you know will be helpful and if said now some leniency might come to any crime you-”

“No.” She turned, looking the man straight in the eyes and forcing her face into a mockery of a sweet smile. “I have nothing to tell you, as I did not do this.”

Dumbledore nodded, even if his eyes seemed sad and slightly disappointed. 

Nodding stiffly, she took the long way back to Slytherin.

  
  


Charles Potter had a headache.

“Didn’t you hear her the other week? She basically said she would have tortured Draco and- and if she could do that to someone she’s friends with then- then what would she do to the rest of us!” Hannah was almost in hysterics, the other Hufflepuffs making up the group in the center of the common room chiming in with other things about Lena Farland that didn’t seem to add up.

Neville frowned and spoke up quietly. “But- well- the other day with the pixies she got me down from the chandelier and- and last year she got me my Remembrall back…”

Portia Meyers, the Captain of the Quidditch team frowned lightly. “And she always was nicer than Flint when it came to every game last year.”

But then came a wave of students in outrage- 

“Farland’s no good! I heard she tripped a first year in the hall the other week!”

_ Yeah, because she was carrying too many books, but she apologized and helped the kid up. _

“And she never smiles! Have you seen her grin? She looks like she’s about to eat someone! I tried to tell her a joke in class and she just looked like she wanted to kill me! I swear my life was in danger!” 

_ Maybe that’s because she’s not used to having anything to smile about. _

An older boy- Rodger Davies- chimed in with a sneer. “I heard that she put up Carr in the medical wing with a broken leg and then he started following her around like some lovesick puppy! She’s definitely a dark wizard!”

Charlie frowned at the older boy. _ That’s only because you think she’s pretty but she’s ignored every guy to ever try to tell her that. _Standing up, he looked out at his house, about to speak up… but then he just shook his head and started to the dorm room.

_ It was hopeless to try to change their minds. _

  
  


Lena stepped into a quiet Common Room, not looking at the others as she moved to stand just inside the doorway, her voice quiet. “I did not open the Chamber of Secrets.” Holding her hand up when a few people looked ready to try to ask her questions, she just shook her head. “Please, let me explain my actions. I woke late and went to greet you as you were all coming back from dinner… I did not expect that _ scene _to be there and had only stopped to look at it- as it was a surprise to me as well- when everyone came upon me.”

Marcus stood. “I don’t think you did it.”

“Neither do I.” Hestia pursed her lips, her sister nodding. “But that does mean that whoever is doing this… will go after muggle-borns, and well, who is more of a target than you?”

_ A good point. She would carry a mirror with her when alone then, but it wasn’t like she was allowed to roam the castle at night anymore. _

Lena smiled. “I will talk to the Baron when I see him next, to see if I cannot figure out a few of the pieces to this puzzle I am missing…” _ Like why Dumbledore looked so shaken by this. _“But I’m not scared of Slytherin’s monster.”

_ Especially when she could hear where it was and then avidly avoid it now that she knew what it was. _

The room still seemed uneasy and she just smiled a bit crookedly. “If it makes anyone feel better, I will most likely be sleeping in the Common Room until all this is solved to make sure nothing can get into the dorms. Now get some sleep.”

Sitting back in her seat with a sigh, she closed her eyes and tried to sink into the meditation techniques she’d been doing according to her book on Occlumency to order her mind.

When she came back out of her meditative state, yawning behind her hand and moving to grab a nearby notebook, using the weighted fountain pen to scrawl out a plea for hot chocolate to the house-elves- the note being replaced with a steaming mug as soon as she put it down- she looked around the room.

Flora and Hestia were asleep on a nearby couch, Flora leaning on her (slightly) older sister, and Ginny Weasley was watching her with unreadable eyes from across the table. 

“Would you like some?” She gestured to her mug.

Ginny smiled, even if it was a bit… stiff. “Might as well.”

Nodding, she scrawled out another note and then pushed the mug that appeared across the table to the girl. “The house-elves and I have somewhat of a… symbiotic relationship. I give them ideas of new food recipes and take care of the students, and in turn, I get to ask for things whenever I want... though I try my best not to abuse the privilege.” Looking at the fire, she moved to hook her legs over the side of her armchair. “Not sleeping well?”

“It’s… not the best. Uncomfortable, I guess.”

Lena nodded, understanding the feeling. “I couldn’t sleep in a dorm either most of my first year. At the orphanage I had to threaten the Matron to give me my own room because I had been conditioned to not be able to sleep around other people… but I’m sure soon enough you’ll be able to sleep relatively well here, as Bridget and Dallia seem to be warming up to you quickly enough.”

Ginny nodded, seeming to study her. “And you? You spend a lot of nights either down here or alone...”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to trust anyone fully for a long time. People are... not my speed.” 

That got a soft mirthful laugh from the girl. “Yeah. I understand that.”

Lena gave the girl a small smile thats edges were smoothed out from the sleepy haze of the quiet night. “Are you having nightmares also? I do something of a counseling service for the others, talk out what their nightmares mean and give them some hope…” She looked to the hot chocolate in the girl’s hands pointedly. “Though I think people like the chocolate and company more than anything.”

Ginny nodded. “I think I’ll pass on the… _ talking _tonight.”

“Would you like me to read you a story? I think I might have something around here-” Waving her hand to open her satchel and then chuckling, she flicked a finger to levitate an orange book in the air. “I thought I had one just in case. This is called _ ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ _ by Dr. Suess... would you like me to read to you?”

Looking at her curiously, the girl leaned back with a strange look in her eyes, nodding slightly and taking a small sip of her hot chocolate. “Please.”

She looked to the book, levitating it as she sipped her own hot chocolate. “I am Sam. Sam I am.” Then she put on a scowl, deepening her voice as she turned the page. “That Sam I am, that Sam I am. I do not like that Sam I am.”

“Storytime!” There was a whispered exclamation, Blaise padding into the room with messy hair before slumping into the seat next to her.

Shushing him, she continued on with her story, smiling when soon enough both Ginny and Blaise were fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're like... two(?) chapters away from Tom and I'm super psyched!  
I'm always open to any ideas, comments, or questions! (though I might try to be vague if it's a big spoiler thing)  
👋👋👋 Have a good day!


	11. Exhibit C: Petrified Students Of Equal Standing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think of Dumbledore in this story as like that one grandparent you really like, but who is totally unaware of modern social ques and slightly delusional :)  
He's okay in my book, plus, I think it's funny to imagine him ice skating like a pro ^-^ (spoilers)

Lena disregarded the stares and whispers behind her back, but she drew the line at stepping in her path when all she wanted was to get breakfast. Staring blankly at the older Hufflepuff boy in her way, she licked her lips slightly. “Please move.” 

“You’re not going to sink this school to madness and terror, Farland! If you dare to touch any of the students-”

“If you are already blaming me for this based on absolutely no proof then this school has _already _sunk to madness. Now, if you would step out of my way, I would like to get my breakfast without a fight.” 

The boy sneered, getting closer to her, his taller figure looming over her. “Where do you get off on this Farland? Seeing everyone else so distraught while you don’t even have a hair out of place?”

She gave him a thin smile. “Glad you like my hair this morning. Daphne Greengrass did it for me.” Then with a small put-out sigh when the boy just glowered, she slipped around him. “Guess I’ll go around you then, as I’m about out of patience.”

A hand grabbed her wrist, the place where his skin touched her feeling like itchy wool being wrapped too tight around her, and she had her wand to his throat in an instant.

His frame stilled.

“Do _not_. Touch me. _ Ever _again.” As soon as the boy released her she was stalking away from him into the Great Hall, using every step to the Slytherin table to reforge her ice-cold demeanor and iron grip on her emotions.

Thankfully, a mug of hot chocolate was waiting for her when she sat down.

_ God bless house-elves. _

“Woke up on the wrong side of the armchair? Or is it the headache?” Theo, Blaise, Marcus, and Daphne sat down around her, eyes all watching her closely. Marcus smiled thinly. “Though you did put that fool in his place, I think the school might be even more terrified of you.”

“I should just skip this year.” Her voice was a low mutter. 

Theo made a noise as if personally offended. “No! You can’t let this- this _ nonsense _ drive you from Hogwarts!”

“And you did promise to help us with exams.” Daphne sniffed. “You can’t leave now or Theo would fail Defence.” Theo and the girl glared at each other.

Blaise nodded. “Though if you do... Mother has already proposed the idea of just adopting you.”

Lena snorted, giving into the idea of staying at the school and just riding this wave of mayhem out, as it was still a hundred times better than St. Judes. 

Though she found herself regretting it when during Transfiguration, one of the Gryffindors purposefully asked about the Chamber of Secrets while the others glared at where she was trying to read.

McGonagall seemed to realize what was going on but just cleared her throat. “You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and... Salazar Slytherin.” The woman’s distaste for the founder of the house of snakes was obvious and it made Lena’s hands clench on the table. “Now, three of the founders coexisted quite harmoniously. One did not.” 

“Three guesses who.” The youngest male Weasley muttered sarcastically, glancing at her with narrowed eyes.

She put down her book, her concentration well and ruined, and just resigned herself to listening to the Professor speak.

“Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. In other words, Purebloods.”

Lena snorted softly. “Yes, because it was also during the time when Muggles were burning wizards and witches at the stake and it was dangerous to tell anyone- much less those_ born to muggles- _ that there were more magic users and exactly where to find them!”

McGonagall pursed her lips. “Well… that _was _the time, but to agree with that mentality is to condemn all those who are not born to magical families to death.”

“The muggles were burning anyone that was at all remotely ‘strange’.” Lena shook her head. “Should the people already living in fear decide to put themselves and their families at risk for a few magical children that were basically born into their death?”

“Miss Farland!” The woman frowned deeply at her. “Enough!”

Clenching her jaw, she turned her head to look out the window next to her, trying to control her temper by taking Blaise’s hand and squeezing it tightly.

The Professor seemed to do much the same thing with the edge of her desk, before continuing. “As the story goes- Unable to sway the others, Slytherin decided to leave the school. Now according to legend, he had built a hidden chamber in this castle known as the Chamber of Secrets, though shortly before departing, he sealed it until that time when his true Heir returned to the school. The Heir alone would be able to open the Chamber and unleash the horror within, and by so doing purge the school of all those who, in Slytherin's view, were unworthy to study magic.”

Lena could feel the eyes on her, one of the girls chiming in with a soft, “Muggle-borns.”

“Well, naturally, the school has been searched many times... No such chamber has been found.” But McGonagall’s voice was tight as if she too held the same type of disdain and fear for the chamber as Dumbledore did.

“Professor?” It was Theo who spoke up in a carefully neutral tone, but when she looked at him, his eyes were curious. “What exactly does legend tell us lies within the Chamber?”

The woman leaned back against her desk, looking at the boy over her glasses. “The Chamber is said to be home to something that only the Heir of Slytherin can control. It is said to be the home… of a monster.”

Huffing softly under her breath, she turned back to the window.

_ Maybe then… she would fit right in with such a creature. _

Having skipped the Quidditch game, as she was not about to lose her temper over a silly game on brooms when she’d been keeping her cool fairly well so far, she looked up from a Runes essay with a grin when the Quidditch team came barrelling in with loud exuberant recounts of what she’d missed.

After a full-length rendition of the way that Malfoy had dove into the depths of the pitch to catch the snitch while out-flying Diggory (as Potter was, for some reason, not playing this season) and how great the beaters were at messing up the Hufflepuff chasers, she smiled and stood. “It sounds like a wonderful game. I will go tomorrow to see if the Hufflepuffs will accept my apologies for not being there, but as for now I think we should celebrate and think of this as a win for the mighty house of Slytherin!”

The room cheered, kids moving to shed their cloaks and sitting around the room comfortably.

“Go shower.” She eyes the windswept and sweaty Quidditch team with a small grin. “The party will still be here when you come back.”

“It better be!” Marcus grinned, bounding for the stairs.

She chuckled, meeting Theo, Blaise, and Daphne with fond half-smiles as they took chairs around the fire. Sitting down, she wrote out a small note and when it disappeared, watched plates of food and mugs of hot chocolate and pumpkin juice appear around the room.

“Miss Farland.” 

Looking to the entrance to the Common Room where Snape stood beside a man she knew was Draco’s father, both of their faces careful masks, she tilted her head. “Professor. Unusual to see you in the Common Room at this time. Usually, you are taunting some poor teacher about the fact our team won.”

The man’s lips pulled up just the tiniest bit. “Yes, well I would rather not be eaten by Pomona’s _ rarer _ plants, as well as my old friend Lucius Malfoy happened to be here for the game and wanted to see what has _ changed _with his former house.”

“Ah… I see.” Lena could tell a few of the students were hiding the muggle books around the room, standing up and taking the center of attention to give them more cover. “If you would like to sit or have something to eat with us, you may.” 

Snape’s eyes caught some of the movement, but Mr. Malfoy seemed to be watching her closely instead, holding out a pale hand. “My son talks highly of you, Miss Farland.”

“As he does of you, Mr. Malfoy.” She didn’t offer up her name like was normal courtesy but did take his slightly cold hand in her smaller and warmer one, giving a small quizzical smile. “Do you really keep albino peacocks on the grounds of your Manor?”

_ He was like ice against her skin, a cold chill creeping through her veins. _

She knew Blaise was grinning, as he had been the one to tell her about that.

Mr. Malfoy’s lips pulled into a strained smile. “We do, as it is a tradition in my family… I seem to be at a disadvantage here,” the man’s gaze drifted to where she assumed Draco had just come back in, “as you seem to know more about me than I do you.” 

“Sometimes a bit of a challenge is good for building character.” Patting his hand and noticing Snape try to smother a smile, she turned to greet the Quidditch team once more, gesturing to the food and drink. “Another win for the House of Slytherin! Celebrate! Eat! Drink! For today, you are _ all _princes and princesses!”

The team dispersing to their friends, she padded back to her chair, snorting softly when Blaise moved to perch on the armrest to her side legs like some guardian angel. Draco moved their way, silently asking to take a seat next to Theo and at her nod, sat down. “You should have been there Lena. It was a brilliant game and the look on Diggory’s face when I cut him off to steal the snitch was priceless! And the brooms were like a dream! I’d let you borrow mine this weekend if you wanted to-”

“Draco.” Lucius moved to hover at his son’s shoulder, the boy stilling. “I think that maybe you should think about _ who _ are the _ best _options to share your broom with… right?”

She ignored the man, nodding to the boy as if Malfoy Sr. hadn't spoken at all. “I would probably just give your broom some curse or something with my bad flying and the team needs its seeker to have an un-cursed broom. Plus, seeing you fly the tryouts and do all those fancy moves was enough excitement just watching, though I am sorry that I was not there today.”

The man peered at his son. “You had to _ try out_?”

“It’s house rules, Mr. Malfoy. Surely as a Slytherin, you know that.”

“And what house is this?” The man sneered at her deeply, stepping forward to stand over her chair, the house fell silent around them and she curled her hand around Blaise’s ankle to stop him from doing anything rash.

“Maybe you’re growing old and have a hard time hearing. This is the House of Slytherin.”

Lucius Malfoy snorted. “_Slytherin_? I think not. Slytherins are not so _kind _or _open _as you children are foolishly being! In my day there were no _muggle-borns _or _blood traitors _ \- no, we were learning to survive by being ruthless to get what we wanted! We would have hexed even our so-called ‘friends’ for the best grade or a few galleons! _ This _ is no House of _ Slytherin _.”

Staring at the man, she stood slowly, looking up at him with a blank and slightly pitying expression. “Then I have nothing to offer you but pity for your childhood and disgust for what you fools mistook the house of Slytherin to be. Cunning does not have to mean evil. Ambitious does not have to equate to stabbing someone else in the back, just as resourceful is not always burning someone else’s bridge to cross your own. And intelligence should _never_ be based in fear and neither should childhood... Even Salazar Slytherin knew that, as he had to raise his son a single parent after his wife died and would _ never _have encouraged a child to be harmed or afraid.” 

“You're spouting nonsense!”

Lena just tilted her head. “Am I? Or are you just too blind to understand my truth?” Then with a shrug, she lifted her hand and clenched it tight, smiling all too toothily. “It does not matter either way. You are not allowed in this room anymore, as you are upsetting my snakes. _ Leave_.”

The man, she could tell, went to lift his cane… but the muscles in his arm only twitched slightly. 

Looking at her, his body twitching as he tried to move, the man gaped. “What- what are you- You can’t-”

“Oh. But I just _ did_.” Then with a smile, she took a hold of the strings of her magic controlling the man with her other hand, pulling her right hand towards her. The man’s right leg lifted, jerking forward. Ignoring his blabbering of nonsense, she hummed ‘Ring Around the Rosie’ to herself as she made the man’s body turn and walk like some terrifying living mannequin out of the common room. When the wall closed, still holding the metaphorical ‘reigns’, she looked to Marcus. “Change the password, won’t you?”

Slowly, the boy nodded. “Uh- yeah. Sure.” He held up his wand to his Prefect badge. “The new Slytherin Common Room password is ‘Wisteria’.”

Lena let go of her magic, smirking briefly when she heard a thump outside the door. Sitting, she looked at Draco. “Sorry about that. He was annoying me.”

“Miss Farland. What...” Snape stood still, watching her as if she was some sort of being of olde come to wreak destruction and death on everything she could see as if she was the most horrible thing he’d ever laid eyes on at that moment. Then a blank mask slammed down across his emotions. “Have you done such a thing before?”

Moving slowly forward, the man twitched as if he wanted to step away from her but his pride wouldn’t let himself. “What would you say should I answer that? That I am cruel? Because Malfoy reached for his wand and I didn’t do anything but remove him from this space. Maybe that I am horrible? But would you not be too if someone was threatening your family in your own home? Or… would you tell the Headmaster that I was an abnormality? A monster, for lack of more horrifying and dangerous words...” Stopping at his side, their shoulders aligned with each other, each facing a different direction, she didn’t look up at him and instead stared straight ahead. “Because don’t you know? Dumbledore suspected exactly what beast he was trying to tame when he gave me that bracelet. It’s too bad he took it away…”

Walking away, she wondered why the feeling of disappointment lingered in her chest.

** _:Kill! Blood! Kill!... KILL!:_ **

“Yeah… no.” Ignoring the voice, she went to change into pajamas, hoping when she went back that Snape was gone. 

_ She’d rather not deal with a stupid snake nor a Basilisk at the moment. _

It didn’t matter if she wasn’t even awake when Collin Creevy was petrified and had her whole house as an Alibi, she was still suspect #1 among the students.

Not even bothering to go to the classes she had with the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, as the lions hated her for possibly petrifying one of theirs and the badgers had outright sided with the lions (she suspected they were salty about losing to Slytherin in Quidditch), she found herself spending more than a bit of time in the same classroom that last year had been host to the mirror and stone. 

Sometimes the older students joined her, teaching her the more simple cleaning spells and color-changing charms they knew in trade for help with things like summoning animals or asking her to read one of her books.

Lena, however, made use of her time to plan. Having Theo get her multiple mandrake leaves during Herbology to store in the potions storage in the trunk, she ventured into the Forbidden Forest to collect dew unseen by the sun and unbothered by footsteps as well as a chrysalis of a death's-head hawk moth. She practiced her Occlumency religiously, testing her legilimency on whatever rats or insects dared to venture into her space.

Daphne leaving with a pout, as she’d tried to get Lena to go to some ridiculous ‘dueling’ event led by Lockhart, a ghost drifted through the wall to smirk at her. “Snakeling.”

“Baron. Do you have time for me to pick your memories of some questions?”

The ghost nodded and drifted closer, eyes curious. “And what is it you wish to know?”

“Fifty years ago.” Watching the spirit closely, she tilted her head. “Who was the person that opened the Chamber of Secrets... and why do they seem to scare both Dumbledore and McGonagall?”

“Ah... I don’t remember the boy’s name, but I can tell you this: It is not so much the person scares them, but the Chamber itself.” The ghost chuckled softly. “The last time the Chamber was opened by an heir, a girl was killed. Dumbledore is worried about his students and McGonagall… well, she was a student when it was last terrorizing this school.”

Lena nodded slowly. _ Then, of course, the woman would be feeling paranoid right about now. _“So neither of them know about the Basilisk?”

A wide smile slid across his face slowly and suddenly the Baron’s cold laughter rang out across the stone walls, but it seemed more surprised than anything. Calming down from his surprise, he studied her with a grin. “So you have found the nature of the beast already… does this mean you seek it out? And what could a mere snakeling like you do to a beast like that?”

“Can anyone read your mind?” When he shook his head, she grinned toothily and slipped into the tongue of the snakes. ** _:What do you think of me now, Baron? I am not what you thought, am I?:_ **

Staring at her with wide dark eyes, the ghost shook his head. “You are full of surprises, snakeling… and hiding secrets.”

She just smiled simply. “Secrets are a girl’s best friend, are they not?”

The Baron’s chilling laughter followed him as he drifted through the wall, away from her space.

“Another sleepless night?”

Smiling up at Ginny, Lena nodded. “Hot chocolate like usual?”

The girl nodded. “you didn’t answer my question.”

“Can I not deflect without catching your keen gaze? You are turning out to be more Slytherin than I thought, Miss Ginny.” When the girl stared at her pointedly, she closed her book on Ancient Runes and sighed. “I’m not exactly sure why I stay, to be honest. I told myself that I would decide on whether to stay with the magical world when I learned everything I could… but now I am thinking that I should know better, as Jack’s first lesson to me as a girl was to know when to leave a situation I can’t fix. I don’t know that the wizarding world will ever accept me.”

The girl’s smile was almost understanding. “But don’t you always talk about change? Why don’t you just make _it _accept _you_? Or is it more than that? Are you able to let anyone see you as acceptable because you cannot see yourself that way?”

Lena took a long drink of her hot chocolate, smiling at the girl in a way that was fonder than she would ever acknowledge. “Why is it when _ you _ can’t sleep, we end up talking about _ me_?”

“Because you aren’t sleeping either.”

Snorting and standing up, she brushed a strand of the girl’s hair behind her ear in a gesture of affection that she blamed on the comfortable companionship they’d made over countless late nights of conversation. “Hold down the fort for me then, redhead. I might just prove you wrong yet.”

Smirking when the girl blew a kiss to her, she took her book and made for her room.

Dumbledore stared at her and her at him, neither speaking and waiting for the other to say something. Finally, the old man sat back in his chair with a sigh. “Two more have been petrified. The same boy you threatened outside the Great Hall just weeks ago and the ghost of Gryffindor, whose house you are rumored to dislike.”

“Circumstantial. Correlation doesn't equal causation.”

“But, Miss Farland, it _ does _garner suspicion.” The man looked over his glasses at her. “Kids get scared, and when that happens is they go to their parents… Quite a few parents have owled asking why I have not just expelled you.”

Lena raised an eyebrow. “And? Why haven’t you?”

The man blinked. “Because I think you are capable of redemption.”

She snorted loudly, almost laughing at the sheer idiocy of the man. “You-” Pursing her lips and ducking her head to muffle a giggle, she shook her head and sent the man a sort of lopsided smile. “Sorry- but- you sound a bit too much like the clergymen at the church Matron used to make us all go to on Saturdays. They kept saying things like that right up until I was told never to come back.”

“And why were you told something like that, dear girl?” Dumbledore almost looked concerned for her.

Chuckling, Lena leaned back in her chair. “I kept asking about the Devil and God. About why the devil should be punished for asking questions and saying things like how god sounded like some shitty dictator. The pastor told me that I had the spirit of the Devil in me when he shoved me out the door... I took it as a compliment.”

The man looked at her with a soft smile. “Many Slytherins have come forward to say you wouldn’t do such a thing like this, as many Ravenclaws have been pointing out to my staff your blood status and the way you have changed the Slytherin’s base beliefs about muggle-borns.” The man paused, looking at her with furrowed eyebrows. “But I have to ask… Is there anything you wish to tell me? Anything at all?”

“Only that Blaise thinks your wardrobe needs to be burned.” She stood with a small grin. “I would watch out. He might just get up the courage yet to update your fashion sense from the dark ages to the 21st century.” Winking, she set a peppermint down on the desk and then took a lemon drop and left without waiting to be dismissed.

As soon as the lake froze over with a thick layer of ice, the winter months coming in quickly, she snuck out of the castle to sit by the side of the water and transfigure her boots into ice skates. Casting a feather-light charm on herself just in case, she made a floating ball of light that would follow her and light a good ten-foot area around her, before slowly inching out to the middle of the lake.

Wrapped in the heavy winter cloak Janus had sent back for her because he was worried (honestly, he acted like her older brother sometimes), she tried to get the hang of the blades, as she’d never ice skated before but always wanted to.

Every night she was out late on the ice, falling as many times as she needed until she could do loops around the lake and even sometimes switch directions. 

The light danced along with her, following her like a spotlight, she would let the cold chill of the air and the wind in her face soothe the hole that had been left behind from the sudden isolation from the rest of the school- excluding her snakes. 

Three days before the break, Angela Johnson was found petrified and chaos broke out. 

The purebloods were all shaken, as Angela was from two wizard parents that weren't very well known, but were considered to be purebloods- and that meant that no one was considered safe.

Slytherin came together to have at least a couple of people up at a time and though the house was wholly against her being outside alone at night, she just made sure to leave behind more chocolate than usual and talk to whoever wrote in her notebook. Just because she was taking the night for her own interests didn’t mean she wasn’t working for the good of the House’s interests.

The night before the castle emptied for the break, she went out to the lake right after dinner.

The ice seemed different in the light of the setting sun and when she got to the center of the lake, she just sat down and watched the sunset, twirling her wand in her hand. 

“...Do you think that it would save them, should I fire a blasting curse at the ice below me? Let the cold depths take me back to hell where I belong?” Her voice was soft, feeling the presence behind her.

Dumbledore walked on the ice without slipping, moving to her side and clasping his hands behind his back as he looked at the setting sun. “My rooms have a window to this lake and for the last month, I have been able to watch a light whirl around the lake every night as if some sprite had decided to dance in the cover of night. It has been quite beautiful.”

Lena looked up at him. “Do you think I did this?”

“I hope you did not, but I cannot pass further judgment, for fear I am wrong.” The wizened man held out his hand, a silver bracelet in it. 

She blinked. “That is quite a show of trust for someone who cannot pass judgment.” 

Dumbledore smiled gently. “It has the temporary feature of telling me where you are in the castle. I think if you have nothing to prove, you will take it back as I know you want… Plus, it would keep Slytherin for losing points, less someone finds out the dancing ice sprite has a name.”

“Good point.” Taking the bracelet, she felt it shrink to her wrist and stood with an inquisitive smile. “Since you are out here, would you do a few loops with me? I am afraid I haven’t had the pleasure of ice skating with another person before.”

“Of course.” The man transfigured his own skates easily, smiling at her. “It has been a while since I have had the pleasure as well, but I fear that this might be the last time we will talk for a while, as I think soon enough the people who find my methods… _ old-fashioned _ will be coming to suspend me because of the attacks.”

Looking away and processing this, she nodded slowly. “Thank you for telling me. I admit that this news is not… favorable.”

The man just smiled at her softly. “Ah, well, shall we?” And with a smile, he seemed to glide away as if it was effortless.

Rolling her eyes, she started to skate after him.

Lena slipped a few times and even the old man had a few close calls, both laughing at the ridiculous pair they made. The sun finally set and she followed the Headmaster back to the castle without much argument. As they got to the main entryway, she held out a peppermint. “Thank you for your trust.”

“Thank you,” Dumbledore took the peppermint and replaced it with a lemon drop, “for your patience.”

Smiling at each other, they split for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm writing fifth-year right now and I'm wondering:  
How upset would all those peoples that came here for the Tomarry be if Lena decided to just... casually make out with someone else? For the furthering of her plans, of course...  
(Tom's plans to kill me aside, Tomarry /is/ still the goal ^-^)  
~  
Thank you for all the comments (that I need to get on top of) and kudos!  
You're all amazing!


	12. Exhibit D: The Only One Taken Into The Chamber

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TOM! MY FAVE! (and voldy, but he's kinda not fully my fave yet?)

The castle was almost barren for the holidays, only a handful of kids staying behind, though there were more Slytherins than before. Daphne, Theo, Blaise, and Draco all stayed behind, saying things about not wanting to go home- but she guessed they were staying for her.

Which, honestly, was sweet (even if she’d never say that out loud).

(Though the two lugs that followed around Draco were a little less welcome.) 

Sitting by the fire- as no one was honestly stupid enough to try to steal her chair even _without_ her being Queen- she ate slowly from the plate that Blaise and Theo had brought back for her. “I wonder when Snape changed his rules for meals.”

“Hmmm…” Theo hummed sarcastically. “Probably around the time when you stopped coming to them.”

“Ah.” She nodded. “That would make sense.”

Theo shook his head. “I think it’s ridiculous. First, you stop coming to class, then meals...” None of them looked up at the others coming in, the boy narrowing his eyes at Lena. “What next? Avoiding the house and sneaking out to ice skate in the middle of the night?” 

She laughed dryly. “So you noticed then?”

“Of course we did Lena.” Blaise frowned. “You could have fallen in or- or something like that! Gotten hurt! What would Janus say?”

“I think he probably wouldn’t say anything. No, Janus would most likely just kidnap me so he could make sure I was completely and utterly unharmed.” She rolled her eyes. “I don’t understand him sometimes.”

Draco snorted as he sat down, Crabbe and Goyle lingering at the edge of the couches with Daphne. “That’s because you’re _ you_.”

“Offensive, Malfoy. I would _ much _ rather be me than _ you_.” Tilting her head when he scowled at her, she looked to where Daphne was standing with Crabbe and Goyle awkwardly. “Hey, Daph. Get lost again?”

“Uh- yeah, sorry about that.”

Blinking, as Daphne never said sorry for anything because it was something ingrained in her from her mother and the girl hated that, Lena nodded and waved her hand. “Well come on the three of you. Sit down. We were just talking about how I broke Janus’ arm.”

Blaise gave her a strange look, Theo and Draco looking at each other.

Daphne, however, gave a strangely high-pitched laugh. “Oh, yeah, I remember that.” 

“Right.” She looked to where the other three had caught on, looking at her for instruction. Shaking her head at Malfoy, she gave the boy a look of slight disdain and leaned back in her chair hauntingly. “Well? Got anything to stay about the gossip recently?”

As the boy leaned back in his own chair, he seemed to catch on to what she was playing at. “I wonder why there hasn’t been an article in the Daily Prophet about the attacks… Probably Dumbledore covering it up.”

“My mother always said that Dumbledore was the worst thing that happened to this school.” Blaise sneered. 

_ And by that, Madame Zabini meant she wished the man had gone into the ministry to clean it of idiots. _

“You’re wrong!” Crabbe burst out.

Lena stood, eyes cold and smile suddenly venomous. “Oh? And you think there’s someone _ worse _ than Dumbledore in the castle?” Sharing panicked glances between the three she knew were imposters, she then paused and smiled slowly. “Oh-oh, you meant _ me_, didn’t you?” Her laugh was light and airy, using her hand to throw some of her hair over her shoulder with a fake smile she’d seen the girls at the orphanage do too many times. “You flatter me... But I don’t think flattery will work when you’re _ impersonating my friends_.” Clenching her fist, she pulled tight the web of magic she’d woven around them.

Stiffening, the three tried to move, but couldn’t- slowly but surely changing back to three familiar figures. 

“Ron Weasley, Charles Potter, and Hermione Granger. How quaint. Come to see the snake’s lair for yourself? Maybe get a few good rumors about how evil I am for your adoring masses?” She moved to lean forward, eyes boring into Charlie’s. “I heard a rumor that you’re going to grow up to slay me because apparently, I’m a dark wizard. And here I thought we were friends…”

“I would _ never _be friends with the Heir of Slytherin!”

The barbed insult hit her hard, almost losing her grip on the magic holding them, and she knew that Charles could tell- something in his eyes regretful even if it was mostly smothered by rash indignation.

Blaise snorted. “You’re all idiots. Lena isn’t the heir, nor is she anything you think. Janus joined her of his own free will and so did the rest of us.”

“Lena! Hermione’s impersonating-” Daphne ran in with Ginny before both paused to stare at the three. “Well, I guess I shouldn’t have worried if you have them all tied up.” 

Lena looked to the three trying to escape her bonds, sighing and releasing them. “Whatever. I don’t care anymore. Go and spread your rumors and lies, ruin every nice word I’ve ever tried to say, or every time I stepped past my own limits to try to make friends.” Shaking her head, she sunk back in her chair by the fire. “You’ve convinced me.”

“Convinced you?” Charles stood, Ron and Hermione at his sides. “So… you’ll stop the attacks?”

“No. Because I’m not the one behind them. No, you convinced me that the magical world has no room for me.” Looking at the fire, she nodded slowly. “This will be my last year at Hogwarts. I’d rather be hated by the Muggles for something I actually _did _than loathed by my own kind for something I’m not to blame for. So… I’m leaving.”

Hermione went to step forward. “If you’re really not the heir then-”

“Get OUT!” Ginny was the one to speak, her voice a shrill yell. “You don’t _deserve _to be here! Look what you did! Get out! I hate you! _ IhateyouIhateyouIHATEYOU _!” She whipped her wand out, firing hexes at the three, who took the smart route and ran out.

The room was still except for the sound of heavy breathing.

“Lena… you can’t really-”

“Ginny.” Standing slowly, she moved to the girl’s side and put a hand on her shoulder gently. “Even Blaise and Theo see it’s useless to try to change my mind. I may think you have a bright future ahead of you, redhead, but please... don’t make me repeat myself.”

  
  


Charles Potter had never felt more guilty in his entire life.

“Surely she didn’t mean it! I mean she’s- she’s _brilliant_! She can’t leave or I’ll never get to pick her brains on transfiguration theory and- and she’s absolutely _ mad _to want to leave magic behind!” Hermione was pacing the Hufflepuff Common room, where the three of them could meet together as long as they didn’t mind others listening in.

Charlie sighed. “I don’t think that’s it… I think that she’s just tired of being unwanted.” He wasn’t sure _how _he understood the girl, but somewhere deep down he somehow felt this aching cold thing that he thought maybe was what she felt all the time. “I mean, what would I do if I had lost all my family and then been forced into a world that didn’t want me?”

Hannah looked at her hands. “But- but you said she was really acting scary and…”

“And she magically tied you up somehow!” Susan frowned. “That’s not the behavior of an innocent person!”

Hermione cringed. “Well… we _ did _sneak into their Common Room and impersonate her friends…”

Ron just frowned. “Ginny- she really hates me, yeah? She’s been trying to tell me all year how great Lena was and I just mistook it for Slytherin brainwashing but- well- she’s never been _ that _mad at me before.”

Charlie stood up. “I’ll go talk to Professor McGonagall. She’ll sort this out.”

  
  


Lena was skating arm-in-arm with Blaise as Theo, Draco, and Daphne were dancing around each other trying to get their skates to spray each other with snow. They’d all taken the ‘ditch class’ route, as Lockhart’s class was full of time to kill and none of them wanted to be spit at by the Gryffindors in Charms when Lena had already taught them most of the year’s material.

She scowled. “I can’t believe that you lot all took to skating naturally. I had to fall like six hundred times to even go in a slightly curved line!”

The boy laughed, his violet eyes mirthful. “Well, we did all grow up having to take mandatory dance classes. And my mother always says: ‘If you can dance, you can do anything.’”

Lena rolled her eyes. “Of course you did. I forget you’re all rich kids sometimes.”

“Hey!” Theo skated over to throw an arm around her shoulders. “I’m a _ cool _ rich kid, I’ll have you know.”

Snorting softly, she pushed him away from her, laughing as he flailed a bit and caught himself on Daphne to take them both down in a tumble of limbs. The girl pushed at him, irritated. “NOTT! Get off me, you idiot!”

“It was Lena’s fault!”

The two devolved into squabbling, Draco moving to skate beside her and Blaise. “Sickening.”

Blaise nodded. “Really quite disgusting.”

“What is?” She looked at the two of them, tilting her head.

Sharing glances, Draco skated away and Blaise shrugged. “Nothing.” Then, as he probably saw her confusion, he pointed to the edge of the lake. “McGonagall seems to be looking for one of us. Most likely you, if I had to guess.”

“Whatever.” Unhooking her arm from his, she skated calmly to the edge of the lake, stopping a few feet away from the edge. “Professor?”

“Miss Farland… would you care to explain why Charles Potter told me that you said you weren’t coming back to Hogwarts next year?”

Lena looked at the woman patronizingly. “Really Professor. Shouldn’t you and the other teachers be off opening a bottle of champagne? If you’re looking for confirmation then, yes, it’s true. Now go on, spread the word and join the party in the staff lounge- or Great Hall, depending on who knows. The demon child is leaving Hogwarts for good!” Then she skated back towards her group, ignoring the woman’s calls to her back.

Skipping lunch and cutting it close to dinner, they all came with good cheer to the Great Hall. With wide smiles and flushed cheeks, she followed where Theo and Blaise were tangoing down the center aisle, gripping onto Daphne as they both died of laughter. Though the mood was somewhat contained when they sat down to eat. 

Hestia Carrow leaned forward, looking at her. “Lena? Is it true? You’re leaving Hogwarts?”

“You’re leaving? What? Why?” Marcus frowned at her, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Yes.” She nodded, voice carrying maybe a bit more than she usually let it do. “Yes, it’s true. I will not be coming back next year, as I think I am done with the magical world and it’s idiocy.” 

Lena wouldn't seem to process it, the world seeming to slow around her.

Charles Potter.

Charlie was… _ petrified? _

Staring where Snape had called her into his office, she shook her head. “No.”

“No?” The man arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean _ no__?_ Potter is lying in the hospital wing, petrified, and all you have to say is _ no_?”

Lena shook her head. “I didn’t do this.” She looked into the man’s dark eyes, trusting he could see that she was telling the truth. “I promise.”

“You can’t honestly think that you won’t be hunted for even the bare implication of having hurt the Boy-Who-Lived?”

“Then I will have to stop whoever is doing this before whoever hates me decides to make their next move.” Turning on her heel, she stalked for the door. 

_ Lena wouldn’t fail Charlie, no matter if he liked her or not. _

_ She wouldn’t be able to look at herself again in the mirror if she did. _

The restricted section had old maps of Hogwarts, but with a determined letter to Vlad from the owlery, he sent her some even older maps and she carefully studied where any possible renovations had been done.

She found six possible entrances.

Lena then spent a good week or so investigating each one and figuring out which would be the best to go through and be unnoticed, as they were all in pretty public places. The answer, however, came with the seventh abnormally on the maps. A wall, that when spoken to in parseltongue, turned into an archway just a few hallways further into the dungeons than the Slytherin Common Room.

Then someone was taken into the Chamber.

Lena stared at the writing on the wall, the blood reading: **Her skeleton will lie in the chamber of her house forever.**

_ Of course, they had to take a Slytherin. _

Raising her wand and erasing the message from the wall, she turned on her heel.

_ It was about time she stepped in. _

Walking into the Common Room, she looked around the room with cold eyes. “Who is missing?”

“Um-” Hestia looked around, each year finding their peers and the girl looked back to her with a frown. “Only Ginny Weasley... but she said she was going to find you about something important.”

Swearing softly, she closed her eyes for a second. “Ginny. Of course- I was so _blind! _” Turning to where Blaise was watching her, she took off her bracelet and held it out to him. “Hold this for me and if I don’t come back in the next two hours… I’m sorry.”

“Be safe.” 

She nodded and turned from the common room, making sure no one was following her before she turned to the secret passageway, her voice slipping into parseltongue easily as she'd had many summer days to practice. ** _:Open:_ **

The tunnel down was almost pleasant when once one ignored the brackish water, mold, and the slight smell.

Turning into a long passageway lined with statues of snakeheads, she spotted a figure lying before a figurehead of Salazar Slytherin.

Lena walked across the slick stone, standing over Ginny Weasley with a small sigh. “The things I do...” Nudging the girl on the floor with her foot, she looked up to the ceiling, trying to find some sign that any of this was a good idea and that she wasn’t just going to get herself killed.

“She won’t wake.”

Looking over to where a boy in Slytherin robes moved from the shadows, she tilted her head and looked at the prefect’s badge on his chest. “And who are you?... You’re not the Slytherin Prefect, as I know Marcus got that badge after Janus graduated.”

The boy smiled, charming, but there was a glint in his eyes as he moved forward as if a predator stalking their prey. “Tom Riddle, at your service, beloved Slytherin Queen…” Taking another few slow steps forward, the boy stood only a foot from her, looking down at her smaller stature with dark eyes. “Ginny has told me of you- so very cold as if made from marble itself, and yet so beautiful and _ good_. Sitting in the Common Room until late to make sure you can be there is someone wakes with a nightmare, leaving chocolate out for the nights you don’t, always ready to answer questions or just help someone out with a spell…”

“You seem to know me quite well and yet I have never seen you before. Which is… _ improbable_.” 

That same charming smile, but with an undertone of barely concealed fascination that sent a shiver down her spine even if she didn’t show it. “Do you really not know me? I find that hard to believe.”

_ Something about that gaze was familiar, same with the way he moved and spoke, but she’d only seen it before in… _

_ Oh. _

Turning away from the boy, she looked down at Ginny and sighed as if disappointed. “You were using her to talk to me all those late nights. Possession maybe?” Her eyes found the black journal clutched in the girl’s hands that Ginny always had on her. “Or are you something a little less… human?”

“Who are _ you _ to talk about humanity?” Leaning down to whisper in her ear, the boy moved behind her back and came around to stand in front of her, reaching out a finger as cold as ice to tilt her chin up to look at him. “You are so far from _ human, _with eyes made from the killing curse- a being of great power just pretending to have a heart.”

“What does that make you then?”

Tom leaned in, cold skin of his cheek brushing hers as he murmured his answer into her ear softly. “I am a memory… preserved in a diary for 50 years.”

Lena kept still as the boy pulled back just far enough to look her in the eyes, their faces mere inches apart. “So you, a _ memory_, took over a girl and made her open the Chamber of Secrets. I somehow doubt that, but as you would like, I guess.” She glanced past the boy, scanning the empty room, stone darkened with time, and a slight mold from the still water. “And the basilisk?” 

“It won’t come until it’s called.” A smirk crossed his lips, dangerous and cutting this time.

Pulling away from him slowly, she nodded and turned away, bored of trying to dance around the subject and hoping to push his hand. “Alright then. Have fun. I have an essay to write for charms.”

“Wait!” 

Stopping, she looked back at the boy. “Yes?”

Seeming to be thrown, something she assumed he was not used to feeling, Tom gestured to Ginny a little helplessly. “You spent multiple nights comforting this girl, showing me that you cared and yet you can just... leave?”

“Well the conversations I had were with you and not her, were they not?”

Tom blinked. “Not all of them. She wrote many times of you, telling me of your iron grip over the house, your fantastical magic and sweet personality… your loneliness and isolation from the other houses...” The boy stepped forward as if he was drawn to her like a moth to a candle, eyes still gleaming. “Will you not save her?”

Lena gave the boy a small half-smile. “You’re the diary, aren’t you? And a lost little girl in the big bad house of the snakes finds a girl a bit older than her that will listen to her childish ramblings and seems to really care about her, so what happens is she develops a bit of an obsession. But then writing all that down… I bet she gave that obsession to you, but I bet it got corrupted it from something simple and naive to something dark and twisted.”

The boy moved closer yet, eyes never leaving hers. 

“It makes perfect sense.” She crossed her arms, the picture of ease even if she was left a bit unsteady from the intense gaze tracking every single movement she made as if she was some type of _prey _to him. “The only thing I don’t get… is how you’re able to open the chamber.”

Chuckling darkly, a cold hand reached out to caress her cheek lightly. “So brilliant and curious, my little Queen... I had thought maybe Ginny had drawn you down here, but no, you came for the answers. The key to the _ riddle_.”

She didn’t move or say anything, just staring at the boy, not about to lose the upper hand of not being affected by his behavior.

“I am the memory of someone of great power, preserved in a diary to continue his mission to bring back all the pieces of magic that the ministry has shoved in their vaults and kept under lock and key. I am the start of a path of greatness for the most powerful sorcerer in the world.” 

“Voldemort… Tom Riddle, heir of Slytherin and Voldemort.” She mused this over. “They’re the same person. They’re _ you_.”

Tom grinned at her, leaning in with half-lidded eyes. “I knew you would see me for who I am, as we have more than a few things in common and you would have to eventually see our connection-”

Lena sidestepped the boy, not in the mood for being touched, even if it didn’t make her feel anything more than the unnerving coldness of his skin. Walking over to Ginny, she picked up the journal the girl was clutching, feeling it was warm in her hands like a tiny sun. “That’s great and all, but the mystery is solved now and I’m cold. So if you could, would you please leave?” 

Something close to rage flickered over his face, Tom’s brown eyes darkening. “I think we will just have to see this power you have for myself… draw out what _ really _ makes you so _ special_.” He turned to the face of Salazar Slytherin, slipping into the snake language. **:Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four:**

The mouth of the stone statue started to move, lowering with the sound of rock grinding on rock.

Humming softly, she wondered- not for the first time- about how she could speak to snakes and if it was a hereditary thing. 

_ Perhaps she was distantly related to Salazar Slytherin from a different line? _

_ Was it something about her that was as strange and freaky like a lot of things were? _

_ Maybe one of her ancestors had been a naga? _

_ Or was the reason this boy felt so strangely familiar... because he was related to her? _

Attention pulled back to the present when she heard a soft hiss from the statue, she closed her eyes and stood still. **:I am Lena Farland and I claim the title of Heir of Slytherin, as Tom Riddle has been made into nothing but a shade of his past self:** Feeling a wave of warmth wash over her, she stayed still, feeling a large presence move in front of her. 

Only flinching slightly when a tongue darted out to brush against her skin, a hiss drifted on the air. **:You have been accepted as heir, little speaker, and may look upon me now:**

Opening her eyes, she blinked at the large basilisk of brilliant greens and blues in front of her. **:Hello then:**

**:What do you wish of me, mistress?: **The giant snake twisted loosely around her.

Looking to where Tom was watching this whole thing, seeming more intrigued than mad, she sent him a half-smile. “Sorry Tom.”

Then she lit the diary on fire.

Seeing his form flicker and start to glow slightly around the edges, the boy moved to stand in front of her with a wide grin, hand taking hold of her chin lightly. The fire licking at his skin didn’t do anything but warm her face slightly and the boy leaned in to press soft cold lips against hers gently with a smirk. “We will meet again, my little Queen… I will make _ sure _of it.”

Then the book caught on fire fully and the form of Tom Riddle glowed brightly before disappearing.

Sighing, she looked to the basilisk. **:The girl will wake soon and I must get her out of her before then. Other than that, you are free to live in these chambers, but please keep away from the students. Is there a way for you to get food?:**

**:I can hunt in the Forbidden Forest, snakeling… but will you visit me?:**

Lena nodded, waving her hand to levitate Ginny. **:When I can, I will:**

Walking away with the girl floating behind her, she used the simple passageway from the Chamber to a hallway only a bit away from the Common Room. Speaking the password, she silenced the other students with a poisonous glare, laying Ginny down on a sofa and casting a cleaning charm on her damp clothes. 

The girl woke slowly, looking groggy. “L- Lena?” Then with a few blinks, the girl sat up, eyes wide. “Where- Tom and- and the diary! What-”

“Ginny…” She took the girl's hand gently, before lightly pushing her back to laying down. “Please, calm down. You were having a bad dream and fell asleep on the sofa… is everything alright?”

The girl looked around, seeming to relax, but looking confused. “I- I was with Tom… and the Chamber of Secrets…”

Lena smiled softly, petting the girl’s hair to soothe her in a way she’d seen mothers do for their children before. “Redhead, you must have had a horrible dream. I don’t know any Slytherin named Tom, nor where you’re getting this idea of the Chamber of Secrets from. Maybe all this nonsense with the petrifications is getting to your dreams.” Summoning a chocolate bar from her trunk, she caught it easily and then put it in the girl’s hand gently. “Eat that and get to sleep, alright?”

“Oh- okay…” Ginny nodded, slowly standing and moving to her rooms.

Turning on the rest of the house, she narrowed her eyes. “What you heard is the truth from now on. No matter if you did not see me here, or you _thought _she was missing- you were wrong. Am I clear?” 

The house slowly nodded, faces solemn.

“And the attacks?”

Lena fixed sharp eyes on where Theo stood, unbothered by her sharpness. Softening slightly, she sighed and rubbed at her temples. “I am sure… that whatever was going on has _ somehow _been dealt with accordingly and the attacks will stop.” Moving to the stars, she paused on the bottom step and looked back to the room. “Ginny should not have to carry the burden of what happened on her shoulders. Let her think it a dream, as we all rest a little easier when we think we can wake up from our nightmares and leave them behind.”

Then without another word, she took the bracelet offered to her and moved to go get some rest herself.

  
  


Voldemort was in the process of trying to possess a snake when he felt a rush of power and memories surged through him, his formerly mist-like form seeming to solidify into a thicker white smoke. 

_ Memories of his time at school and of opening the Chamber of Secrets. _

_ Memories of being locked away in a diary. _

_ Memories of a girl finding the diary, starting to write about her sorting into Slytherin and how the house hated her but yet one girl stood out and had taken her in. _

_ Memories of Lena Farland, the strange girl with the eyes like emeralds calmly facing down death, unflinching, with only a small smile. _

She was right. 

He could feel it, some tiny part of his brain telling him that what he felt for the small girl in the green and black uniform was obsession, twisted and blackened by a mangled soul latching onto something bright and beautiful. It combined with the curiosity and intrigue he’d previously felt, making the interest and _need _to see the girl all so much stronger.

He could feel it, knew exactly what was happening… but the thing was? 

He didn’t care.

Lena Farland would be his.

  
  


The petrified students were returned to normal, Lena never giving out a single word about what she’d done that night, even as the other houses spit venom at her still.

But instead of just taking it, the Slytherins seemed to rally around her tighter than before, getting up in the faces of whoever tried to insult her until she either pulled them away or glared them into silence again.

Eventually, with finals coming up and no attacks, the school settled into an uneasy truce.

They celebrated the end of the year like the time before- once again half the house was wasted in time for the End-of-the-year Feast and she nodded to Dumbledore when she sat down, the man’s eyes sparkling as he nodded back.

“Could I have your attention, please?” McGonagall tapped her spoon to her wine glass, the hall quieting.

Dumbledore stood. “This year’s House Cup goes to Hufflepuff, but before we award such a thing or eat, I would like to give a round of applause for Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey, whose Mandrake juice has been so successfully administered to all who had been Petrified. Also, in light of the recent events, I think I must clarify something that someone wise told me when I doubted my instincts....” The blue eyes smiled as they sought her out. “Correlation does _ not _equal causation.”

She blinked, then giggled slightly, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth.

His smile was small but fond. “Let us eat!” As the food appeared on the table, the man moved from the dais to stand by her seat. “Perhaps I could talk to you in my office?”

“Of course.” She dipped her head, standing and walking silently with him out of the Great Hall 

“Severus saw the message and went to fetch Minerva, but when they came back it was gone. Upon questioning one of the first years, they found out that you and Miss Weasley were missing… though only a few hours later, both of you were back and unharmed.”

Lena nodded. “We were taking a walk.”

The Headmaster looked at her sadly. “Will you not tell me the truth, Lena?”

Watching the man for a long time, she smiled softly. “Slytherin’s chambers belongs to the Heir, as does the monster. I may like you, but I think that it would be an affront to history to either destroy the Chamber or make it open to the Ministry so they can remodel it to their tastes. Understand me when I say that the creature inside the chamber will not harm anyone in the castle and stay away from everywhere but the Forest and it’s home.”

“And who was leading the attacks?”

“The same person that did fifty years ago.” Looking at the man as his eyes widened slightly, she tilted her head just slightly. “The same boy that I seem to remind you and Professor McGonagall of.”

The man’s voice was a soft whisper. “Tom?... What happened to him? How did he...”

“A diary. He called it a memory, but it was possessing Ginny Weasley. She, of course, thinks him a nightmare, but I am sure that will not last for long.” She leaned back in her seat. “I destroyed it.”

Dumbledore nodded, seeming lost in thought, and their food appeared.

They sat in silence, eating for a while before she finally spoke up again. “I’m not normal. I’ve never been normal and for once I thought I would make friends and get to be something better than I was- just the demon child of St. Judes… but then it happened here. The strangeness followed me here, made me yet again unworthy of anything good.” She put her plate to the side, drawing her knees up to her chest. “It always happens that way. Every good piece I have eventually gets ripped away from me and… I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“My dear…” The Headmaster’s voice was heavy with tiredness, smiling gently at her. “I have felt the same way. When my sister died when my best friend left me for power when I was forced into a battle that I didn’t want to fight… You must rely on your greatest strength.”

“And what’s that?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Dumbledore reached across the space to squeeze her hand gently. “Your friends. Let them support you when you have no one else.”

Nodding, she wondered if that was the advice of an old man or a great wizard.

  
  


“You mean… Voldemort was in the castle?” Charles almost couldn’t breathe, looking at Dumbledore from his place in the hospital bed, horrified.

Sirius was practically spitting venom at the thought. “What- why didn’t you tell us! What would happen if-”

“Sirius, my dear boy…” Dumbledore looked calmly at his uncle over the top of his glasses sternly. “I do not think Charlie was in any real danger. He was just chosen to be petrified because I believe that the attacker knew it would get to the real target to act. However, I think that Tom was not prepared to deal with what he ordered, so to say.”

“Speak clearly Albus.” That was his mum, her eyes flashing dangerously from under messily pinned up red hair. “What do you mean by that?”

Dumbledore looked at his mother with almost mischievous eyes. “I was worried about a girl, a student in Charles’ grade who seemed to be much like Tom when he was young… but I think that fate, as fickle as she is, has granted us something close to a miracle.” The man stood slowly, nodding to Charlie. “I can only hope that Tom knows what game he is trying to play, as I do not think that his opponent will play by the same rules he makes for himself.”

Charlie watched the old Headmaster wander out, suspicion creeping up on him, but he swallowed it down.

_ Lena couldn’t have done this. _

_ He was just being silly. _

  
  


Stepping off the Hogwarts Express, Lena shook her head. “That’s not the point Blaise. It’s not that I care about the Muggles, it’s that I’d rather not have you or any of the Slytherins around that place!”

“But you can’t just not tell us anything when you’re not planning on coming back to school next year!” Blaise frowned. “What will we do then?”

“Just let us stop by every once and a while Lena.” Daphne looked at her with big blue eyes. “Please? Just to make sure they’re taking care of you?”

Giving the girl a small smile, she pulled each of the three into a hug, looking over to nod to where Draco was standing with his family. “I will be alright. In fact, I’m thinking of getting a job this summer.” Snorting softly at their faces of disdain at the mere thought, she shook her head and shrunk her trunk to put in her pocket. “If I do, then maybe I will tell you where to find me during my shift hours.”

Instantly the disdain was gone. 

“That’s a great idea, Lena!” Theo smiled. “Something in Diagon then?”

“Nope. A little cafe I’ve passed by while exploring London. It looks like the perfect place to escape to.” Grinning widely at the three’s sinking moods, she glanced to where Charles Potter was pointing at her for the second year in a row. “That’s my cue. Gotta go! See you around!”

Weaving through the crowds, she slipped from the platform into Kings Cross, ducking into a bathroom to change her clothes before starting to the orphanage.

_ She wondered how different it would be not counting down the months until she left for Hogwarts. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Lena's not going back to Hogwarts. Thoughts? ^-^ (I already know I'm evil, you don't have to tell me)  
Also, I like to think that Dumbledore is the first person to ship Lenom? Tomena? (Tomarry but with fem!Harry, or whatever)  
Anyway, please hit me up with questions or comments or any such manner of that type of speech!  
(if you would like to speak outside of the comments, I am on the Chamber of Secrets discord server and always like to meet new people :))


	13. Lena Farland and the Horribly Persistent Slytherins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter teaser chapter for the next year!  
^-^ We stan old-man Dumbles in this house! (in this story at least)  
Also, please remember for all her knowledge and cunning, Lena is still only thirteen and will inevitably change her mind, as is normal for a hormonal teenage girl (though those instances will be less usual than some of the teenage girls)

Having gone to Gringotts to transfer some galleons into muggle money, Lena went shopping for some nicer muggle clothes and a backpack that she then charmed to the top with extension charms and anti-thief charms, before applying to the cafe that was a bit of a walk from the orphanage. 

She didn't mind the walk though, the brisk mornings and cool nights almost calming in a way- as Jack always used to tell her she herself was the scariest thing that was hiding in the darkness, and it was true now, magic pooling at her fingertips.

Lena was put on the cash register at first, but it seemed that her inability to smile on command forced the woman who owned the place to teach her to make the drinks, having her work with that and getting people their food. Though most days she just bussed tables and enjoyed the music that was played in the background.

During this time she also had a mandrake leaf stuck to the top of her mouth with a powerful sticking charm, and other than the slightly weird taste it left in her mouth she learned to ignore it.

The next full moon, she spat the leaf into a glass vial that was under the moon’s rays shining into her cramped room- before adding a hair from her head, a silver teaspoon of dew that had not seen sunlight or been touched by human feet for seven days, and the chrysalis of a Death's-head Hawk Moth.

Then she stored the potion away in her trunk to wait for the next electrical storm.

Luckily enough, one such storm struck half a week later on a hot summer day when she had nothing to do but sit around, as she wasn’t working.

Her newest secret? 

She was an animagus… though it, admittedly, had taken a bit of work and more practice into occlumency from the book that Vlad had given her the year before.

Bussing tables, hair piled in two buns like ears with a black apron skirt over her simple dark green shirt, she heard her name being called. Balancing the plates she was trying to carry with a bit of help from her magic, she turned only to pause and blink at where a tall boy with a smirk on his lips who was wearing a fitted suit was strolling her way.

Rolling her eyes, she gave the boy a look and then moved to put the plates in the back, the woman who owned the place- Miss Stacy- following her. “Who’s that boy Lena? He was asking after you and he looked really relieved to hear you worked here.”

“We’re friends from boarding school.”

The woman peaked out to the front, presumably looking at where Janus was standing- looking out of place in his formal attire. “Well, he’s cute. Take a break and go talk to him. He'll draw in customers if he stays.”

Lena raised an eyebrow at the woman, who just shooed her out. Snorting, she washed her hands and moved out to give the older boy a half-smile. “I heard that you’ve been looking for me.”

“Blaise and I both. I already told him that I would look into this cafe while he went to the one down the block, so he should be by soon.” Janus Carr frowned at her slightly, crossing his arms and pretending to be upset with seeing her when she could see the playful look in his eyes. “You didn’t owl them. Or me.”

“Oh… didn’t I?” She hummed, grabbing the small plate of botched pastries that Stacy’s husband set aside for her and waving the boy to a small booth. “Must have slipped my mind. Just like mentioning that I’m not going back to Hogwarts.”

His eyes widened. “What?”

Two more people sat down with them, Blaise next to her and Theo next to Janus. “We might have forgotten to tell him.”

“Just like he forgot to mention Theo was with you?” She smirked and bumped shoulders with Blaise. “It’s good to see you three.”

“Wait! Hold up!” Janus held up his hands, looking as if his world-view had been offended. “Lena, you can’t just- You have to go back! You haven’t even taken your OWLs yet! Or- or had a decent defense Professor!”

She raised an eyebrow. “I liked Quirrell.”

““No one else did.”” Blaise and Theo both snarked back at the same time, the Italian boy grabbing a pastry with a smirk.

Lena huffed softly. “I know that you all care and I appreciate you coming to see me, but I’m not going back when I’m not wanted there. Last year made it extremely clear that I’ll get blamed for anything the other houses want and I just-… I told Dumbledore, but I’d rather not have all my good memories of Hogwarts be tainted.”

Janus frowned. “Then… why don’t you make new, better memories as you go?” 

“Sorry.” She stood up, then pushed the plate of pastries towards them. “I don’t know that I can.”

_ She really should have known better when she thought that would be the end of it. _

_ Slytherins were horribly persistent when they wanted to be. _

It started with Ginny, who showed up with her dad (who gaped at everything and made her explain exactly how she made his drink), sitting down and having coffee.

Janus and Gemma Farley became regulars, as apparently, the Ministry was close by, and with them sometimes came familiar older students or even Lords and Ladies in fancy clothes.

Marcus then showed up, one time dragging the whole Quidditch team along, and even Daphne smirked at her as she sauntered in with Blaise and Theo every once and awhile.

Though it was Madame Zabini, Lady Greengrass, and Lady Malfoy- all dressed in elegant dresses and giving her nods- that broke the camel’s back.

“What in the seven hells? I thought you were an orphan?” Stacy hissed at her with wide eyes, staring at the three women. “How- how do you know _ them _ and- and all those rich people that keep coming in?”

“I… I used to be the head of a... group or- uh- club at my boarding school. Most of them were either in that club or have kids that are in the club now. Janus, the guy who always gives me shit about going back to school? He used to be head of the organization-thing.”

The woman looked at her, shaking her head. “You’re crazy for leaving, but whatever. Go serve those ladies… they’re scaring everyone else.”

Nodding, she walked over to the group and flipped out a small notepad. “What can I get you today, Ladies? Madame?”

Madame Zabini hummed softly, studying her. “You’ve gotten even more stunning since I last saw you. Now if you would just smile…” The woman waved her hand when Lena’s eyes narrowed slightly, chuckling. “Ah, but that’s alright. What do you recommend, dear?”

“I recommend you go shove-...” Taking a deep breath, she let her irritation go and just gave a thin smile. “If you like coffee, then that’s a favorite, but if not then the chai is excellent. And if you are eating, then a popular choice is the cherry tart.”

Sharing amused glances, Miss Malfoy nodded to her. “Three cups of chai then.”

“Please tell me you have money that’s not galleons.” She raised an eyebrow.

Madame Zabini grinned toothily. “Don’t worry dear. After my son’s mishap, I made sure the ladies knew to prepare beforehand.”

Nodding, she turned to go make the drinks, coming back a bit later to set the three mugs and a small plate with three tarts down in front of the women. “A treat on me for three Alumni of my house.”

“_Your _ house?” Lady Greengrass tilted her head.

Lena just smiled conspiratorially and moved to buss a few tables, ignoring the eyes on her as she worked, cleaning up and just generally minding her own business.

It went on like that for much of the summer, though as it got closer to the school year, fewer students showed up and Janus got more consistent with his lectures- as did she with diverting them.

Lena was running a bit late to her shift and she apologized to Stacy as she moved into the back to throw on her apron. “What can I do? Where do you want me to-”

“Lena. Breathe.” Miss Stacy smiled. “A kindly old man has been waiting for you and even bought you breakfast, so go sit with him for a few. We’re not that busy right now… Though is he a monk or something? What’s with his clothes?” 

Suspicion curling in her stomach, she peered out, sighing deeply when she saw Dumbledore sitting at a table in the corner. “He’s… very old and doesn’t understand modern fashion.” Smirking when the woman laughed, she moved to sit in the empty seat across from the man.

They were both silent for a second, the old Headmaster watching her as he sipped a cup of tea.

“And here I thought that our talks were over.”

Dumbledore smiled at her. “Not yet my dear. I hear from a few of my students that there’s a young lady in this lovely place that makes wonderful teas, so I came to offer her a place at Hogwarts.”

“I left.”

The man looked at her with kind eyes over his glasses, smiling slightly. “And yet you didn’t take the bracelet off and give it back.” His voice was soft, unassuming, but she still flinched back slightly before catching herself.

Bringing her hand to the silver bracelet, she took it off slowly. “I-… I forgot.” Then with great reluctance, she held it out to the man. “Take it, if it matters so much.”

“I didn’t come for it. I came because a man escaped Azkaban. Peter Pettegrew is his name and he was one of the spies for… _ Tom_. He was the man that betrayed the Potters in fact.” The old man took a sip of his tea and hummed as if he was just telling a story and not recounting what most wizards considered an extremely dark time in Britain's history. “The school, as the Minister has decreed, will be subject to Dementors prowling the grounds.”

Lena snorted. “More of a reason _ not _to go back.” 

Dumbledore smiled at her. “Is it? Severus and Mr. Carr have told me about what you have done for the House of Slytherin-”

“What? Torment it?”

“No, my dear. _ Save _it. Severus told me about your protection of the students, your deal with the house-elves, and even of your little book club. Mr. Carr told me what Severus did not. Staying up late to reassure your pears, providing safety and a familial environment…” The man took another drink of tea, blue eyes knowing as he watched her. “Would you care if the mere presence of those creatures makes all your work for naught?”

_ She wouldn’t- _

_ Couldn’t- _

_ And yet… she knew exactly who of her house would be most affected and who wouldn’t want to speak to Snape because they didn’t like asking for help from authority figures. She knew who would pretend like everything was fine and bottle it all up like they’d been doing before she’d become Queen. She knew that the house- her House- would indeed diminish under the influence of the foul creatures. _

_ And didn’t that thought- the thought of having what she’d put almost two years of her life into building falling apart because of a few stupid dark creatures just piss her off... _

Her hands clenched tightly and she glared at the table. “You’re manipulating me.”

“I am offering a scope of possibilities, my dear, though I am sorry if it seems this new information has put you in a choice you don’t want to make.” Dumbledore put down his teacup, looking at her with a sad smile. “I just came here to offer this: keep the bracelet. If you make it to the Welcoming Feast this year, your position as Assistant Staff will be renewed. If you do not… it will just be a bracelet.”

Watching as the man stood up and wrapped a brightly colored blue shawl around his purple robes, she offered up a slightly stiff smile and reached in her pocket to pull out a peppermint candy. “Thank you for your patience.”

Dumbledore smiled widely at the words he’d spoken to her the year before. “Thank you...” He switched the candies with a wink. “For your trust.” Walking a bit away, the man looked back. “Oh and that means _ all _of the Welcoming Feast, should you wish to make an entrance.” 

Lena just nodded.

With a smile, the man ambled out into the light of the day cheerfully.

_ They both knew what she would inevitably choose, even if she would pretend she still had yet to make up her mind. _

_ There was a reason that she’d gotten the third-year books at the beginning of the summer and had been to the Knockturn Alley bookshop more than a few times, even if she had tried to pretend there wasn’t. _

  
  


“It’s fine! I’ll be fine!” Charlie's mom batted away Sirius from where he was fussing over her as if a worried parent, crossing her arms and glaring at the man. “You and Remus will see me during the weekends I expect and I’ll be fine without you two hovering over me. Now get your butts in gear and get through that floo before I curse you to lose all your hair!”

Remus winked down at Charlie, both smirking softly at his mum’s temper.

Sirius, however, cringed back slightly but refused to give up on his nit-picking. “Okay but you know that we’ll be writing as much as we can, right? And I’m sure if this old house gets too big that Molly or Amelia would be more than happy to have you over… and if you wanted you could always meet us in Hogsmeade…”

“We’re worried.” Remus summarised easily, smiling softly at his mum. “And we know it’s only nine months, but we haven’t been apart that long since…”

“I know.” Lily Potter softened, moving to draw the three of them into her arms, placing a kiss to Charlie's forehead as she did. “But I’ll be alright. Molly and Amelia both already threatened to storm the Manor if I didn’t check in with both of them at least once a week… But I’ll miss you.”

The four of them hugged tighter, words of love and caring muttered to each other-

But all Charlie could think of was Lena, who would never know what having a family of more than one person felt like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Charlie's sweet, really, but Lena's perfectly find with finding and building her own family :)  
It's the Third Year! Whooooo!  
And Tom will be around :) In places no one expect him to show up :)  
\---  
Lena: *opening her wardrobe*  
Tom: *leaning against the inside, in a full suit*  
Tom: It's free real estate.  
Lena: *slowly shuts the wardrobe door again*  
(I had to, I'm not sorry)


	14. Lena Farland and the Green-Eyed Cat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... who's up for a randomly-appearing Tom?  
Also, for those that think that Lena was being 'weak' or 'going back on her word' because she came back to Hogwarts, she was ready to leave the magical world entirely, I assure you, but didn't because with the time she'd had to think through her actions she realized that she'd been rash and a bit childish.  
Then again, she is a thirteen-year-old girl.

“What are you doing here Lena?” Miss Stacy sighed as she looked at her. “Don’t you have that thing- the feast thing for the first day of school? Don’t tell me you’re not going this year! You’re too young to be skipping something like that.”

“They don’t like me, nor do they want me there.” Lena moved to bus another table.

Catching her by the shoulder and spinning her around, the woman looked at her sternly. “Does everyone have to like you, Lena? Is that mandatory now? What about all the kids that like you so much they search all of London for one coffee shop? Can’t you focus on your friends and just ignore the others?” The woman smiled softly, as if she was missing something big here, and pushed her shoulder slightly. “Go. I don’t want to see you here tomorrow. You either find another job or go to that school and maybe I’ll hire you next summer.”

She sighed, taking off the apron and trading it for her jacket and backpack that had her trunk in it already. Nodding to the woman, who was smiling brightly, she left and slowly made her way to the Leaky Cauldron.

Sitting at the bar, she checked the time on her watch.

The train had surely arrived by now, the first years sorted and the feast started.

Rubbing her face in exasperation, she changed into her Slytherin robes and paid to use the floo, stepping out at the Hog’s Head. Looking to the older bartender she remembered, she smirked. “Hey, Aberforth. You got a way for me to get to school or should I wait here?”

“Albus thought you’d be comin’ by.” The man set down a small slip of paper on the counter. “Take hold and say the password. It’ll take you outside the entrance.”

Nodding, she grabbed it and looked at what was written, smiling. It was a question. _ ‘What do you carry in your pockets?’ _Shaking her head, she chuckled softly. “Peppermints.”

The feeling that she recognized as being portkeyed somewhere, was absolutely miserable. Every single atom in her body felt as if it had been pressed into a bouncy ball and then thrown around a small room, bouncing off a wall every other second, before being flattened back out into a person-sized lump of goo that was somehow still standing.

Blinking to clear the spots from her eyes, she huffed and slowly made her way into the castle.

Walking past the paintings that greeted her with whispers and stares, she made sure her shoes were silent as she stopped at the edge of the open doors. The Head Table stared at her, Dumbledore’s eyes twinkling as he continued to speak. “-dementors will be stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and though I have been assured that their presence should not interrupt out day-to-day activities… Dementors are not creatures to take lightly, as they are beings of fear, and fear is powerful.” The man tilted his head slightly, imploring her to join them, to take that last step.

“Potter! Potter!”

Lena narrowed her eyes on where Draco was being a prat. The tables were changed around, Slytherin and Gryffindor in the middle of the room instead of on opposite edges, and of course the blonde had to egg on Charles. 

“Potter! Is it true you _actually_ _fainted_?!”

Flicking her wand to summon a newspaper and rolling it up, she walked down the aisle, hitting Draco over the head with a clean ‘whack!’.

“What the-!” The boy turned, and much like the rest of the hall, gaped at her. “Lena?!”

“Lena!” Hestia stood, smile triumphant. “I knew it! I win the bet! Pay up sucker!”

Marcus groaned. “Come on- I thought you’d stay away for a few days, maybe even a week!”

Draco rubbed the back of his head. “What was _ that _for?” 

“You’ve regained the whiny quality to your voice. I blame your father... but still.” Turning to look at Dumbledore, she raised an eyebrow. “Thank you for your patience. I didn’t want to come... but it seems I was forced.”

The man chuckled. “Thank you for your trust. And yes, my dear, you might have had a _ gentle _ nudge.” 

Snorting, she moved to the head of the table, Marcus making way for her to sit down without a word. 

Blaise, Theo, and Daphne all grinned at her as the food appeared on the table. 

“Be quiet.” She scowled at them, then at her food as it was to blame.

The three just grinned wider.

“Hello, my snakes.” Lena stood up after the normal speech by Marcus, smiling at the common room. “As I think you can tell, I’m back this year.” 

The room cheered and she huffed softly in humor, waving her hands to quiet it again.

“As you have already been told, there are dementors wandering our halls. As such, I have double the amount of chocolate I usually carry, so just find me should you need some or ask the house-elves if it’s an emergency. Please don’t try to just keep your nightmares to yourself, as I am known to stay up late and will usually be reading in the common room most nights should you have a nightmare or just can’t sleep.” Looking at the firsties, she sighed. “I’m not in the mood for a fancy demonstration tonight, if you wish to challenge my title as Queen then please do so in the morning. Goodnight.”

Blaise smiled at her as she passed him to her room and she laid back on her bed with a long sigh.

As she was taking Ancient Runes instead of potions as one of her base courses (and was at a sixth-year level for it), she decided to try Divination and Care of Magical Creatures, as there was a period of two weeks that she could change her mind on either of them.

But yet… Trelawny seemed a bit of a hack.

“Welcome, my children... In this room, you shall explore the noble art of Divination. In this room, you shall discover if you possess the Sight.” Standing, the woman (wearing glasses as thick as the crystal balls Lena saw on a shelf near the back) stood, knocking into the table in front of her. Chuckling sheepishly, the woman continued in that horrible voice of hers. “I am Professor Trelawney. Together we shall cast ourselves into the future! This term, we'll focus on Tasseomancy, the art of reading tea leaves. So please- take the cup of the person sitting opposite you!”

Looking at Blaise who was sitting with her, Theo and Daphne sniping at each other at a table next to them, she shrugged and grabbed his cup. Making a wide-eyed look, she leaned towards him and shook her head as if deeply saddened, whispering. “You’re going to get run over by a Centaur. What a shame.”

The boy snorted softly.

The woman, however, was going around the room spouting nonsense. “-broaden your mind! Open yourself for the sight to flow through you!” The woman ambled their way.

Trying to look invested in the teacup, she sighed when the woman locked onto Blaise. “Oh! Oh, your aura is broad enough! Look- look at the cup! Tell me what you see!”

“Uh…” The boy looked from her cup to the book. “Well... I see something like a… rat? So maybe something about treacherous servants? And a broken sword with a clover? So some supposed enemy of yours will win… but you'll be _ happy _about it…?”

The woman snatched the cup from Blaise’s hands, looking at it and then gasping and pushing it from her as if it were poisonous, hands clutched to her chest as she looked at Lena. “My dear girl… you have a snake but- but not just _any _snake… you have a _ basilisk. _”

Blaise looked to his book. “The symbol of... a surprising and painful death? Where did you see that?” The boy looked as if he was mentally writing up Trelawney's intake forms for a mental institute with every single minute that passed. 

“Maybe she’s going to try to kiss a dementor.” One of the Gryffindors sneered at her.

Lips pressed together, she ducked her head, shoulders shaking.

“Lena? You alright?”

Unable to stop it, she burst into laughter, almost crying she was laughing so hard. “A-... A _ basilisk_!?” Her laughter increased, shaking her head but unable to stop. Finally, she took a deep breath and calmed herself, smiling widely at the woman. “I’m excited to hear what else I might die from. This might be interesting after all.”

She was still smiling widely when they followed Hagrid into the woods past his house.

Daphne peered at her. “Does this good mood of yours have anything to do with... Ginny’s supposedly scheduled disappearance last year?”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Lena chuckled, shaking her head, lowering her voice a soft mutter under her breath. “What an old bat. As if the basilisk would ever kill _me_. Nonsense.” She walked on ahead, looking back to see the three staring at her with something akin to understanding in their eyes.

“You…” Theo moved to where she was standing, casting a privacy spell around them. “You’re really the heir? All this time?”

Lena scoffed. “What, do you think I lied last year? Of course not!" Smiling, she grinned sharply at them. "I _ killed _ the last heir.” 

Then with a wide grin when their eyes all went wide, she started walking away again.

_ It seemed the three of her friends were starting to understand what really happened the year before. _

Hippogriffs were _beautiful. _

Lena stared in awe at the creature unlike anything like she'd seen before (basilisk not included).

“The first thing you wanna know is they're very proud creatures. Very easily offended. You do not want to insult a hippogriff, as it may be the last thing you ever do…. Now, who'd like to come and say hello?”

Stepping forward while the others stepped back, she looked to the giant Professor. “May I? He’s quite beautiful…”

The man beamed. “Go on then Miss Farland! But let him make the first move, as it's only polite. So step up. Give him a nice bow. Then you wait and see if he bows back. If he does, you can go and touch him. If not... Well, we'll get to that later.”

“Alright…” She stepped forward, looking at the animal calmly, and went to bow-

Making a sound between a caw and a chirp, the creature put a leg forward and dipped its head, bending its other leg into what looked like a bow.

Giving a half-smile, she waved her hand as if to beckon it forward, the hippogriff trotting forward happily. Beaming at the creature as it nosed her with its beak, she chuckled. “Hello there. My name is Lena.”

Feeling it duck its head, she blinked when it pulled her dog tags out of her shirt.

“Those aren't yours, silly thing. Those are Jack’s- no, please- let go of those please?” Her voice must have held some of the desperation she felt because the creature let go instantly. Her voice was a whisper. “Sorry, I’m sorry, I just can’t lose those…” 

The hippogriff pressed the bridge of its head to her forehead, making its funny squawking sound. 

Chuckling slightly, she patted its side and then moved slowly back. “You’re _beautiful_. Better-… better than the stories.” Her smile was wobbly and she nodded to Hagrid. “Thank you.”

Draco was head of the pack when she walked back to the rest, starting to walk forward, but she caught his arm in a tight grip, stopping him. Her voice was a whisper. “Just because it bowed to me does not mean it will to you. Either listen to reason for once or suffer the consequences willingly.”

“I- I understand.” 

She let go and they moved in different directions, sitting against the boulder to the side of the clearing and leaning back against Blaise to steady herself.

The year before when she’d been studying the maps of rooms, she’d found one on the seventh floor that would change to whatever anyone who found it needed. However, as she had been pacing late one night and not clearly thinking, she’d found the room full of junk.

It was full of things that were curiously dangerous and books that she put away in her trunk, but when picking through the junk, she’d found an odd crown-thing. Warm to the touch like the diary had been, she thought she’d seen red eyes flash in the blue gems and had almost dropped it in surprise.

Handing it carefully, she thought of the normal room and a couch, the junk disappearing around her but the tiara(?) staying in her hand. Sinking to the couch, she slowly laid back, before putting the circlet(?) on.

Lena was not surprised to open her eyes in a different place, though the scenery of a shady bar was not what she expected. Glancing around at the mist-like people, she met the blood-red eyes of a man in his mid-thirties sitting in the back of the bar wearing a suit. 

In full color.

Walking over, she sat down across from the man. “Riddle. You look older than the diary did.” Tilting her head and ignoring his narrowed eyes, she blinked at him for a second before nodding and shifting so she was sitting sideways on the bench with her back to the wall. “Your eyes. That’s the main difference. The other you had dark brown eyes.”

“You seem to know me well and yet I do not have the same pleasure.”

She smirked. “That’s the point, Sherlock. I’m not about to give away my birthday and blood type to a Dark Lord… Though I guess you could call me the Queen of Slytherin.”

Riddle tilted his head. “At your age? You are, what, twelve?”

“Thirteen.” Her voice held no offense at the man's sharp tone, as she supposed she would have rust manners if trapped in a forgotten object. “Though I took the crown my first year and I bribed the others not to challenge me with chocolate.”

“Chocolate.” The man’s tone was flat as if disbelieving.

Lena nodded. “Yeah. It’s funny- the diary was quite interested in how I run my house through kindness and the minor reminder of my power every once and awhile. Talked circles around a girl he was possessing trying to figure it out.”

Staring at her, the man leaned back. “You’re lying.”

“And here I thought you’d like to have company. I know the diary did desperately- well _ before _he set the Basilisk on me.” She moved to stand, the man reaching out to grab her hand, staring at her with narrowed eyes.

“You would be dead. If what you say you did happen, then you _ should _be dead.”

She smiled. “Great vote of confidence. No, I’m alive because I claimed my place as the heir.” Reaching out to pull his fingers off her one at a time, she winked. “I might not destroy you immediately. You seem like someone I could talk to when I can’t sleep.”

Feeling blood-red eyes follow her, she walked out the door of the seedy bar and woke up in her body.

_ Interesting. _

As no one was yet having nightmares and everything seemed to be alright of the western front, she stretched and thought intently of her animagus form.

Feeling the world seem to distort around her, she was about to pad out of the Common Room when she heard a shout and instantly ran towards it.

Finding a door blocking her, she pawed it with intent, internally grinning as she heard a click. Padding in, she realized where she was and who was yelling.

Snape.

With only a moment of pause, hearing the tell-tale signs of a nightmare, she moved back to the table to take the end of a chocolate bar in her mouth before waddling awkwardly into Snape's office while dragging the candy. Hearing the muffled sounds coming from another door, she bumped that one open with her head and climbed up to the man's bedside table, dropping the chocolate bar.

_ Wow, that was harder than she thought it'd be. _

She meowed loudly, the man shooting up, and she found a wand in her face.

Making a questioning murp, she pushed the chocolate towards him with a fuzzy black paw.

Staring at her and the chocolate for a long moment, Snape fell back on the bed. "This is breaking about 16 school rules Lena… one being a student in a teacher's sleeping quarters."

Lena murped again, tilting her head slightly and pushing the chocolate further his way.

"Ridiculous." But a pale hand moved to take the chocolate from under her small paw, the man not bothering to sit up as he broke a bit off. "You're going to give me cavities."

Sneezing out a laugh, Lena jumped down from the table, padding towards the door.

"Thank you."

Looking back, she bobbed her head and then moved out of the room. Closing the door with her head, doing the same for the man's office, she gave a small sigh when done. Curling up on her armchair, she closed her eyes and sunk into a state of meditation.

_ She wasn't sure how to feel about the black mark on the man's arm that she'd seen when he reached out. _

_ The mark of a Dark Lord’s servant, faint but still there. _

"Where'd the cat come from?" Blaise's voice woke her and she stretched, claws extending as she arched her back.

"Dunno. Maybe it's Lena's? It is sitting in her chair…" Theo reached out, poking her side and she blinked lazily at him, unimpressed. "It's really pretty…"

The other boy snorted. "Have you ever seen a cat before, idiot? Usually, you don't just _ poke _ animals." Warm hands curling around her waist, she blinked slowly as she boy pulled her up with a hand around her midsection and she gave a small murp at being displaced. "Come on then. Lena'll probably meet us at breakfast."

"You're going to take the cat?"

Starting away, holding her smaller frame in his hand like a grapefruit, the boy shrugged. "Why not?"

Looking up at the boy, who winked down at her, she tilted her head as if to ask him how he knew.

"An animagus book from Knocturn, remember? Come on Lena." The boy’s voice was soft, shaking his head and tucking her in his shirt pocket. "You do make an adorable kitten though."

Narrowing her eyes on him, she wiggled to look around, wondering at how big the whole castle was not that she was tiny. Or- well- tinier than _usual,_ as the snide part of her brain reminded her. 

Blaise sat down, joining Daphne who was already there, Theo sighing as he sat down. “I still can’t believe you brought the cat.”

“Cat?” 

Meowing, she looked up to Blaise, trying to get out of his pocket. _ It was hard to be tiny, okay? Just let her out of this prison! _

Setting her down on the table, Blaise grinned. “Kitten.”

_ Shove it in her face, why don’t ya? She wasn’t that small- Blaise had to hold her with both his hands when moving her! _Padding across the table, she decided to start eating Theo’s bacon in revenge for his poke earlier, ignoring his concerned mutters about how he didn’t know if she could eat that while Daphne laughed.

However, her fun was sort of interrupted when Hestia and Flora and their gaggle of girls catnapped her so they could fawn over her small paws and ‘soft fur’.

Escaping, she bounced down the table to jump onto the bench then the floor, breaking into an all-out run when the girls tried to come after her and accidentally running into a shiny shoe when turning the corner. 

“What-” A man in nice robes looked down at her, grey eyes softening and a smile crossing his face as he scooped her up, his long black hair tied up in a bun. “Remus! Look at the little kitty I found!”

Another man- this presumed ‘Remus’- was at his side, looking like a professor from a muggle university with his elbow patches and laid-back posture. The only thing wrong with that was the scars running across his face. Moving to the first man’s side, ‘Remus’ blinked. “Oh wow… look at those eyes… they’re so _ green _.”

Someone cleared their throat, Snape standing at the entrance to the hall, blocking the way of the two men. “Black. Lupin. I would appreciate it if you unhand the kitten.”

Both men blicked, the man holding her snorting. “You have a cat, Severus?”

“Kind of… she’s taken to the Slytherins in _general,_ not just me. Sleeps by the fire more often than not.” The man’s dark eyes lingered on her, promising suffering for this. “So. Unhand her.”

“What’s her name then?” The man holding her taunted, eyes mirthful. “You had to have given her a _ name_.”

When Severus seemed to still in thought, Blaise appeared by the man’s side. “Queenie! I thought I told you to stay with the Slytherins!” Ignoring the three men, the boy stepped forward to take her into his own arms. “You’re not big enough to roam the castle!”

Meowing, trying to express her displeasure, she narrowed her eyes at the boy.

“You’re still too small!” 

Biting the boy’s hand, who just raised an eyebrow and flicked her ear, she huffed and turned her head. _ She was a ferocious beast, not some cute-... _She sighed and just resigned herself to her fate when Blaise just grinned and gave her back to Hestia and Flora.

Finally successfully escaping the watch of the overbearing Slytherins that thought her ‘cute’ and shifting back, Lena sat down at lunch with a scowl. 

Blaise greeted her with a grin. “Funny seeing you here. Where’ve you been all morning?”

“Special transfiguration project.” She sneered at the boy. “Not that you would care, as I hear you’ve been torturing my cat all morning.”

Theo raised an eyebrow. “You have a cat?”

“_Queenie_.” Spitting the name like a curse, she scowled deeper at the grinning Italian boy. “I hear you took her to divination and put her in a _teacup._ Be glad that her claws are hard to use or your favorite tie would be _shredded_ right now.”

The other two looked between her and Blaise as if trying to figure out a math equation before Daphne seemed to understand and burst into giggles. “No- no wonder she looked so unhappy with being manhandled!”

Theo just stared at them. “I don’t get it.”

“That’s an okay sweetie. You’ve always been a bit slow.” Daphne patted the boy’s shoulder, starting them into bickering like usual.

One of the Gryffindors ran in with a newspaper, yelling: “He’s been sighted! He’s been sighted!” And even though he was asked about it, the answer was already clear. “Peter Pettigrew! He’s been sighted!”

Lena rolled her eyes. “Ah. The madman himself…” She’d seen a picture of the man, as each Common Room had one on their billboard and it honestly was kind of pathetic. The man was a short, gaunt fellow with stringy hair and overgrown front teeth. The only thing about him that all was even slightly threatening was the glint to his eyes that told her the man was past all reason.

“Dufftown? That's not far from here!” Hermione Granger shared worried looks with the little group of children from mismatched houses.

Another boy sounded worried. “You don't think he'd come to Hogwarts, do you? With dementors at every entrance?” 

“Dementors? He slipped past them once. Who's to say he won't do it again?!” 

Lena turned out the rest of the conversation, looking to Theo. “Pettigrew… will he come after any of us?”

The boy glanced at the others, then at Marcus and the older years who were listening to them, before looking back to her with a grimace. “During the end of the last war, it was… _ rumored _that the Dark Lord became a bit unstable, disregarding previous goals and- in one legendary example- going after children. The Potter and Longbottom children. And as such, it's a _ rumor _that he found out Pettigrew was the Potter’s secret keeper and broke his mind getting to the secret. Made the man into something even worse than the most sadistic of the Dark Lord’s _ alleged _inner circle.” Theo’s eyes were grim, lips pressing into a line for a long moment. “If anything, Pettigrew is worse than the others, because he believes every single word of the Dark Lord’s corrupted ideals without knowing where they came from.”

“So yes… if he was to find out that you and Ginny were in Slytherin… It might trigger something- like a reflex.”

Looking down the table at where Ginny was eating with her friends, she nodded slowly and thought about her options. “I will be out talking to a friend tonight… as I might then know a way to add to the security of the castle.” Humming, she narrowed her eyes. “I wonder if snakes have souls…”

The three by her looked at each other with wary eyes, but she just ignored them.

_ It was worthless to confront people about their bad secrecy when she usually didn't bother with her own. _

**_:Darling! I’m back!:_** Lena wandered into the chamber, hand in her pocket as she flicked her wand, taking the time to apply her knowledge of cleaning charms now that she had the time.

There was the sound of scales against the stone, the snake sliding out one of the pipes. ** _:You come to see me and even try to clean my home… I am grateful, heiress.:_ **

Lena waved her hand. ** _:Of course. This is my house’s chambers and I would like to keep it from crumbling to ruin because I let it mold and leak a bit.: _ ** Eyeing the cracks in the walls and frowning at the moldy pool of water, she tilted her head. ** _:Maybe I should get some plants that live in water. Like lily pads. They might keep the water clean for you when I can’t be here… And maybe we could even put in fish once the plants have started growing well.:_ **

** _:You are kind, heiress.: _ ** The snake moved to brush its nose against her skin and she withheld a shudder. ** _:But why have you really come to see me?:_ **

** _:There is a man, escaped from Azkaban, who is so vile they have put dementors out to watch the grounds. Only… I do not trust the creatures of hunger and desperation, so I would ask if you could keep an eye out while you roam.:_ **

The snake hissed wordlessly. ** _:You are smart not to trust the creatures of death, as their only thought is their next meal.: _ ** Curling around her loosely, the snake bobbed its head. ** _:I will indeed keep watch for the man. I am sure he will reek of insanity.:_ **

** _:Thank you, Queen of Snakes.:_ **

** _:You are welcome heiress, as always.:_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A kitten! (but honestly- sweet and lovable on their own terms, and yet won't hesitate to draw blood if you touch them without their permission? Yeah, Lena's a cat.)  
Also, is anyone starting to get a faint idea of where I'm going with Tom?  
A wonderful day to all you lovelies!


	15. Lena Farland and the Dementors of Azkaban

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I liquify myself into a mango milkshake... do I still have to write my research paper?  
*sigh*  
Have a chapter because I can't focus :)

The two men that had tried to adopt her as a cat, it turned out, were the uncles of Charles Potter and the newest defense professors. They were co-teaching, as Mr. Black was an Auror (on leave for the year) and knew more of the application, whereas Mr. Lupin was more theory-based (though she bet he could still hold his ground in a duel).

Black was lounging on one of the desks that had been pushed to the side of the classroom, for all intents and purposes looking quite like one of those boys in the orphanage that thought he was the greatest thing to walk the earth, while Lupin talked about their lesson: boggarts.

But Lena was too busy watching the wardrobe to listen to the sandy-haired man, lost in thoughts of fear and it’s possibilities. 

_ She knew she was afraid of being forgotten... but how would that appear? _

The other kids formed a line around where she stood frozen in thought, their fears things like clowns or spiders or snakes.

However, Theo’s boggart was a man that Blaise whispered to her was the boy’s father, though the boy had no explanation and merely turned it into a clown (much to one girl’s horror). Blaise’s was what looked like a bloodstained bed, but he just turned that into a small kitten chasing its tail with a smirk to her. Daphne’s fear was a mirror where her reflection was crying, signifying weakness, and Draco’s was his father.

_ Children were not born cruel, they were forced to choose that path. _

“Miss Farland.” The other Professor, Black, looked at her with unreadable silvery eyes and she realized she was now in the front of the line. “You’re up next.”

Nodding, Lena stepped forward, wand slipping into her hand.

The boggart changed, leaving a figure standing there in worn paint-stained clothes. He looked the same as she remembered with his wrinkle-lined face, his close-cropped salt and pepper hair, and the tern tilt to his lips.

“Jack?” Her wand was limp at her side, blinking and taking a step forward. “Jack, I missed you so-”

But the look in his eyes stopped her, something cold and hateful that the man reserved for the Matron when the woman had done something to her. His mouth moved, and she could almost hear his words in her ears. 

_ "Monster." _

Her hand shook, wand almost slipping from her grasp as her hand started to shake, reaching up to clutch at her dog tags as if they could protect her from the sharp pain in her chest where she felt like her heart had fractured. “I had to. You _ know _I did.”

Again the figure said a single word, eyes like ice. 

_ "Worthless." _

Flinching, Lena closed her eyes even as she felt tears on her cheek, swallowing thickly. “You- you don’t mean that Jack.” Looking at the man through tears she couldn't seem to hold back, her voice broke and she'd never felt more like that nine-year-old standing next to a gravestone pleading that he _just_ _come back. Just please- please I'll do anything, just come back to me._ “You’d never-” 

The man’s eyes were resolute glaciers as he stepped forward slowly, advancing on her like a twisted version of the old man she'd relied on for so long- as if he was here to punish her for her mistakes. 

_ "You should have died instead of me." _

Gasping for her breath, her hands shaking almost comically where they clutched at her dog tags, she nodded through the tears that wouldn't stop. “I know Jack. I… I know.” Then she pointed her wand at the man and took a shuddering breath. “I-... For what it's worth... I'm sorry... _Riddickulus_.”

The figure whirled, a single silver bracelet lying where the man had been. 

Laughing softly through the tears in her eyes and the pain in her chest where she was sure her heart had been crushed, she looked to the door where Dumbeldore stood with saddened eyes. “First birthday gift he gave me… and I sold it for a bag of peppermint candies.” Her body shook with soft sobs as the Headmaster watched her with sad eyes. “Peppermint oil... suppresses appetite.” Her bitter smile was tear-stained and she could guess she looked pretty pathetic.

“Remus, please excuse Miss Farland.”

Professor Lupin blinked. “Yeah… right. Of course.” The man in question was still looking at her with furrowed eyebrows.

“Come, Lena. Walk with an old man.” Moving forward, the Headmaster put his hand on her shoulder, steering her out. They walked in silence, both ignoring how every student they passed gaped at her- most likely because her cheeks were stained with tears. “Jack would never say anything like that, my dear.”

Lena nodded. “I know... but it’s still my fear. I think that Jack was just the best way to get that message across for-... for the boggart.”

Dumbledore was silent, looking somewhere in the distance as if he was seeing something she was not. “Did I ever tell you about the time Jack got so drunk at the Hog’s Head, he bet Aberforth he could wrestle the giant squid?

“No.” She sniffed and finally wiped at her cheeks.

“Then I’ll tell it to you now.” Smiling, the old man started into a long story that had her feeling much better.

At the end of their walk, they traded candies, the Headmaster looking at the peppermint curiously before putting it in his mouth. “Do these really suppress appetite?”

Lena clacked the lemon drop against her teeth, nodding, her voice sarcastic. “And I poisoned it.”

The old man looked at her with serious eyes. “Same here.”

Staring at each other, she shared a smile with the man- something real and humorous that only a few had only seen before- chuckling slightly. “Well played.” But then she looked away, sucking on the lemon drop. "I- I have a question... Do you think Jack would like who I’ve become?”

“I guarantee he would.” Dumbledore smiled softly.

“...Thank you.” With one last look at the man, she turned to the doors of the castle so she could walk down to the lake and think, hoping that the others had taken her stuff with them.

Surprisingly, Draco was the one to meet her at the entrance of the Common Room, holding out a thick blanket. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a prat lately.”

Shaking her head, she took the blanket. “It’s not anything to be sorry for. Not since you’ve obviously made an effort to change.” Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, she looked past him at the room and then blinked slowly. “Why are the Hufflepuffs here?”

A group of yellow-and-black robed students stood off to the far side of the room, eyeing her.

“You missed the excitement while you were out.” Marcus grinned from across the room, lounging on his chair like the (crownless) king he was. “Pettegrew got in the castle somehow and tried to curse Potter. He escaped somehow… but the Headmaster said that since they have the weakest password, that they’re staying with us.”

“Ah.”

Ginny looked at her worriedly. “You doing alright Lena? The- uh- incident in your class circulated the school already.”

Lena sighed and moved to sit by the fire, writing a note for the elves for more couches and chairs, looking up at the snakes watching her a second later. “Jack was the only person who cared whether I lived or died when I was a kid. His death… It’s been almost four years and I still don’t know that I’m over it.” Tossing the note on the table, watching it disappear and more couches appear around the room, she shrugged. “I’m fine now. I had a lovely time talking to the mermaids down by the lake.”

“Mermaids?” Susan Bones seemed to perk up at this but cowered back when the whole of Slytherin glared at her.

“Snakes… is that really how we treat guests? Come now, set aside whatever petty feud you have and understand we are being asked to protect them.” Lena huffed. “Nothing will change. I’ll still be sleeping down here and those with nightmares are more than welcome to come to talk to me or just request some hot chocolate… but now our rules just include not letting strange men into the common room and playing nice with the 'Puffs.”

Adrian Pucey scowled. “Do we have to?”

Eyes narrowing, she looked to the boy flatly, the air chilling around her slightly. “Do you wish to try to oppose the set rules, _ Pucey_?”

“N-no… but, well, they treated you like rubbish last year!” 

Sighing and rubbing the bridge of her nose as more than a few others muttered their agreement, she nodded. “Then beat them in Quidditch or- or make them read _'Pet Sematary'_… just don’t bring it into this house or I’ll charm all your clothes to look like Dumbledore’s robes.” Looking at the other house, she found where Diggory stood in the crowd. “You too. I’ll find some way to make your lives miserable if you're bad guests. However, if you are nice… I might share my books and chocolate with you, as well as talk to whoever is having nightmares.”

Diggory looked around his house, getting small nods in return. “Fine. But none of you get to talk bad about us and no matter who wins Quidditch, we all party together, okay?”

The house of Slytherin nodded, coming to an agreement.

The pretty headpiece's scenery hadn't changed the next time she put it on alone in her room, strolling to sit across from the man in the strange ghost-like bar. "Why a bar? What's so special about this place?"

Riddle watched her with the same intent red eyes as before. "This diadem was combined with my consciousness here... Thus, I must stay in this place forever."

"Sounds lonely… is there a way for me to get you a book or something? It must get _ incredibly _ boring in this place."

The man stared at her for a long moment as if wondering if she was telling the truth. Finally, with no little bit of curiosity in his eyes, he let the corners of his lips curl up. "The easiest way would be to take a memory of a book and push it out past your mind-barriers, as then I will be able to see it."

_ Well, that was one way to say it was possible for him to get in her mind if she wore the diadem. _

Lena just nodded, as she wasn't too concerned about him meddling in her mind if Dumbledore himself had trouble reading her, and pushed forward the memory of her reading Dr. Suess to the Great Hall during Halloween first year.

Blood red eyes flickering shut as if seeing the memory behind his eyelids, the man was still for a moment before opening his eyes and looking at her critically. "You weren't lying."

"I try not to. If you lie, then there's a risk that eventually the truth will see the light of day." Looking at the table, letting her fingers map out the carved indents and raised warpings of the wood, she thought over her next words. "May I ask… what were your goals? The diary was pretty set on changing things, bringing back old magic and banned books like me, but I've heard from children of your followers that you went a bit off the rails and started to lose your way… even attacking children."

When the man's face twisted into a sneer, she pushed forward the conversation between her and Theo when he told her about Pettegrew and a bit about the Dark Lord.

Stilling in his defensive anger for a moment, the man scowled after having obviously seen the memory. "_I _ would never do such _barbaric _things. _ I _ wished magical children preserved- children with magic taken from muggle homes and put in homes that would respect and treasure them, though I _thought_ my other self would do something like go through the Ministry to achieve it… you said I became a Dark Lord?"

"Dark Lord Voldemort."

"Ridiculous." The man looked upset at this, before seeming to consider something. "However… there was a ritual I did, splitting my _consciousness _into such items as this… I wonder if that was where things went wrong."

Lena shrugged, stifling a yawn. "Might be."

Riddle looked to her, a glint of fear and anger in his eyes though he kept his voice calm fairly well. "You said you destroyed the diary?"

"Lit it on fire." Lena gave the man an unamused look. "He refused to respect my personal space boundaries and I thought it was annoying. Though he did say some nonsense about seeing me again... but I guess he meant there was more of you."

He didn't say anything about that, instead seeming more curious about something else. "He _ wanted _ to touch you?" At her raised eyebrow, Riddle rolled his eyes. "Not meaning to be offensive- I’m just surprised. I remember thinking other people quite repulsive when I was young."

Pushing forth the whole interaction between them in the Chamber of Secrets, Lena brought her hand up to cover another yawn, crossing her arms and putting her chin down on her arms to watch the man lazily.

After a bit, the man blinked at her slowly. "Interesting..." Watching her yawn yet again into her elbow, eyes feeling heavy, the man patted the space beside him. "Come. Lean on me."

"I thought you don't like people?"

"I said when I was _young _ I didn't like people. Now… I can make exceptions." This seemed to be funny to the man because he sent her a smirk that she pretended didn't chew at her insides.

Blinking slowly, she moved to the other side of the table and stared at him for a long moment before sitting down and closing her eyes. Leaning into his warm presence, her voice was a mutter. "I still don't fully trust you."

"Just as well." Riddle chuckled, turning himself slightly so he could pull her closer. "I wouldn't trust me either with much… but you are far too interesting to hurt."

Lena just hummed under her breath. It was unusual for her to allow anyone to hold her like this, much less when she was in a state of tiredness, but all she could feel from Riddle was warmth- as if the sun was wrapping her in a cocoon of soft sunbeams- so she figured she could trust him enough to fall asleep here…

_ That and she really didn't want to get up at the moment. _

Feeling a hand running through her long hair, gently untangling the few knots as it went, she let herself slowly slip off the cliff into the void of sleep.

  
  


Sitting next to Blaise again in the incense-heavy room of the Astronomy tower, she tried to stay awake and coherent with the thick environment making her brain slow and her eyes abnormally weighted. 

“-iss Farland!”

Lena blinked, looking to where Professor Trelawny was moving her way and then giving Blaise a longsuffering look of pain.

“Yes, Miss Farland can feel it- the mists of the veil is slowly being pulled back for her…” The woman gestured from her to the intricate tarot cards in front of her. “Come now child, let us see through you- tell us what the cards are telling you about Mr. Zabini.”

Taking a deep exaggerated breath, she half-lidded her eyes and mumbled under her breath what sounded like nonsense (but was actually a recipe for brownies), hands brushing over the cards that she’d ordered by rank and number.

She knew exactly where every card was and the order she’d put them. 

So, fingers bushing the cards- counting them as she went- she pulled out the fool card and gasped dramatically when she looked at it, looking to Blaise with wide eyes.

“What? What is it?” Trelawny’s eyes were as wide as saucers as if she’d predict a gruesome fate for her friend.

Instead, with a trembling hand, she reached up so her fingers were pointing lazily at her temples. “The cards are telling me that…” She flipped the card around and then smirked. “You’re a nerd.”

The darker-skinned boy burst into a fit of wheezing laughter, Theo and Draco snickering from off to the side while Daphne grinned behind her hand.

“Miss Farland! This is no joke! The fool represents a meaningless life, taken for granted by someone of a higher power!” Trelawny waved her hands. “The cards are telling you, Mr. Zabini, that you’ll devote your life to someone that will always have power over you!”

If anything this made the boys laugh even harder, Blaise nodding as he wiped tears from his eyes as he nodded. “I know, Professor.”

Draco wheezed. “Devote… higher power…” 

Lena raised an eyebrow but kept her wide smile as she watched the four laughing Slytherins.

_ She didn’t understand, but that was okay because they looked to be having fun. _

Finally realizing that she wasn't going to get the class back under control, they were dismissed and she caught Blaise’s hand as they started to walk back to the Common Room, intertwining their feelings. “What was all that about?”

“Nothing bad, don’t worry about it.” The Italian boy grinned fondly, squeezing her hand gently. “She just confirmed something I already knew.”

Frowning slightly, but not about to push him, she nodded and kept their hands intertwined as they walked.

“Miss Farland!” 

Looking back at where both of the Defence teachers were walking towards her group, she looked to Blaise, who nodded. Ducking around the corner and looking to see no one in sight, she transformed into her animagus and snuck under Theo’s cloak.

Gaping, the boy looked down at her and gave a silent 'what' under his breath, but then seemed to shake it off as he picked her up, apparently not about to freak out now.

“Mr. Zabini… Where did Miss Farland go?”

Blaise stared at Professor Black blankly. “Who?”

The man scowled. “Lena. Lena Farland. We wished to talk to her outside of class and yet she left right at the end of class.”

Nodding slowly, as if the two were saying something in a different language, the Italian boy just hummed. “Did you ever think that maybe she doesn’t really want to talk to you two? That’s a possibility. She did avoid Lockhart pretty avidly last year- in fact, the only defense professor that hasn’t made her see her dead father-figure or tried to hit on her… was Quirrell.”

Both men twitched slightly at the name.

Black narrowed his eyes. “What’s with you snakes and the attitude all of a sudden? None of you were like this before-...” He drifted off, seeming to realize something.

“Yeah. Think about what you were just about to say, then think about why Slytherin could possibly hate your guts.” Blaise’s smile was sickeningly sweet. “Maybe because you reduced a thirteen-year-old to tears and didn’t even think _once_ of stepping in.”

Lupin looked pained. “Still... We need to talk to her-… we might know something about her parents.”

Lena bristled. 

_ How dare they try to lie to her about some fake family that never even looked for her when she had been raised by Jack! _

Daphne sniffed haughtily. “Jackson Farland, you mean? Because I wouldn’t tell Lena you think that the family that abandoned her when she was a little less than two years old matters. She might just kill you for that.”

_ She might for even suggesting it. _

Still frowning the next day as they walked to Hogsmeade, Blaise threw an arm around her shoulder with a sigh halfway through the slightly muddy trip. “What’s going on in that brain of yours?”

“Plotting.”

“You know you can’t just kill them for being disrespectful.” At the glance she gave him out of the corner of her eyes, he sighed. “Well, not _easily, _at least. Plus, killing an Auror wouldn’t help with Potter. Not that he seems to care, staring at you all the time.”

Her eyes followed his, finding Charles frowning at her from across the path of Hogsmeade as if confused. Rising an eyebrow at the boy, he turned away as if he hadn’t seen her and she rolled her eyes, tugging on Blaise’s arm to get them moving again. “Fine. No killing.” Watching Draco and Theo argue about something that sounded suspiciously like Quidditch, Daphne watching them as if their argument was a particularly interesting rugby game, she pushed the ugly thoughts from her head. 

_ It wouldn't matter, she was fine without a family. _

“Oh- looks like that small antique shop moved to Diagon.” Daphne pointed at a small well-placed building near the town square with a sign in the window to owl a ‘Rebecca Morris’ about renting or buying the building for a business. “That’s a shame. My mother said that it was there when she went to school and usually had good trinkets for last-minute gift ideas.”

Lena tilted her head, the hand in her pocket brushing against a chocolate bar. “I need to stop by the owlery down the street if you'll save me a seat at the Hog’s Head.”

Theo raised an eyebrow as she shrugged of Blaise’s arm gently and moving to get a piece of parchment from her bag, as she was already composing a letter in her head. “The Hog’s Head? You know that’s infested with shady characters and we’re all _thirteen? _”

“Then sit on Draco’s shoulders, put on a trenchcoat, and pretend you’re an adult.” She grinned. “Or you could tell Aberforth, the bartender, that I’ll be there soon.”

“Of course she knows the bloody bartender of the Hog’s Head...” Theo muttered under his breath as she walked away, making her smile slightly.

The letter was hasty and written against a wall, so there was little she could say about the standards of her penmanship, but she knew that it wouldn’t matter as long as it got the message across- she suspected she’d get an owl back by dinner.

Lena was not a fan of rain, hence the thin clear shield rising from her wand, surrounding the area of Hufflepuffs and Slytherins who (in all surprise) seemed to get along fairly well after the truce. As Hufflepuff was currently playing against Slytherin, the group was somewhat split in supporting one or the other, but Lena was firmly wearing green and silver just as the Hufflepuffs were wearing yellow and black.

Theo and Blaise were cheering and yelling with the rest of the house as they creamed Hufflepuff, but her eyes fell to where Charlus Potter looked as if he was feeling clammy, wavering on his broom.

Turning, she scowled deeply at the dark forms drifting through the air towards the pitch.

The game seemed to go into an intermission as the stadium started to shiver from the dementor’s presence, the players grounding themselves quickly. The others seemed to wane in their energy and Lena looked around herself curiously. She felt a bit of doubt and self-loathing creeping in on her as if she had just done something the Matron didn’t like, but other than that she was alright.

Releasing her umbrella ward as Potter slumped to the ground of the stadium and Theo seemed to go into a catatonic state, she ignored the rain for the sake of pointing her wand at the creature and thinking back to her in-depth (and a bit illegal) book on magical creatures. 

_“Expecto Patronum_!” Springing from her wand was a mirror image of the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, hissing in wordless anger and moving to start driving the creatures away.

Soon enough a wolf, a big dog, a cat with spectacles, and a phoenix all joined her snake in driving away the beasts. 

The professors ushered everyone out of the stands and even though she could tell Black and Lupin were looking at her, they went after where Charles was being sent to the hospital wing instead of approaching _ (which she was grateful for, as she had two houses to placate)_.

Making the Quidditch team eat half a bar of chocolate each and then immediately shower, she dried off a few of the students at a time and handed out chocolate, the house-elves sending over mugs upon mugs of hot chocolate. 

The room slowly settled into a state of quiet relaxation, the whole of the two houses either sitting on the floor or lounging around on the various furniture pieces.

“Alright there, Diggory?” She moved to the older prefect last, tilting her head at the pale quietness that defied all his normal behavior and pushed a mug of hot chocolate in his hands.

“I saw my mum dying.” The boy’s voice was soft, staring at the floor before him. “She got in an accident when I was young and…”

Moving to kneel with a knee on the ground, she caught his eyes and pushed the mug up for him to drink, watching him regain a bit of color when he sipped it. “Know that I don’t much like repeating myself, so listen to me well… Your mother would be proud of who you’ve become, Diggory. You’re top of your class, a fantastic Quidditch Captain, an awesome prefect that everyone admires… And know this: even if your dad can’t see that, everyone in this room can.” When the boy looked up, startled, she smiled softly and tucked a chocolate bar into his shirt pocket. “That notebook isn’t just for decoration, though many think so.”

The boy smiled slightly. “Thanks.”

“Of course.” Moving away, she found Blaise was in her seat, and instead of moving him, just laid out across his lap. “Hey Zucchini… penny for your thoughts?”

Snorting, the boy grinned at her. “They cost more than that, Lean Mean Lena Machine.” When she merely poked him for the nickname, he rolled his eyes. “I was just wondering why you didn’t seem that affected.”

“Dementors feed on every good feeling, every happy memory until a person is left with absolutely nothing but their worst experiences.” Looking at the boy, she smiled softly and patted his cheek. “I, dear Zucchini, had no good memories to fall back on until halfway through my first year here. Everything else- even Jack- was dulled down to a painful existence that seemed to have no purpose. So… I guess I am just used to their effects.”

“Then how can you cast the Patronus so easily?”

Lena wiggled her eyebrows. “_Magic._”

The boy pushed her off of him for the comment, much to her indignant surprise and the laughter of the common room.

Laying back on her bed and putting on the diadem, she moved to sit across from Riddle with her legs on the bench and her back to the wall of the booth, not saying anything.

Riddle tilted his head. "Did something happen?"

She pushed the memory of the dementors forward and then Theo's question and her answer. Waiting for the man to look at her again, she fiddled with her dog tags, voice soft. "I used to talk to the diary late at night when he would possess this one girl I knew… and though I didn't know it was him, I enjoyed our talks. It makes me wonder if there's something wrong with me for liking to talk to someone who has caused so much death and pain."

“And yet I hadn’t. As of the age of the diary, my existence had only affected four lives, and one of them was an accident. The girl that died to the Basilisk was completely accidental.”

“And the other three?” She frowned slightly.

Looking at her with a soft smile, he shrugged. “My muggle father left my pregnant mother to die in childbirth so I was raised an orphan. I later found him living with his parents still. He said he should have killed my mother when he got the chance and the rest… was history.”

Lena pushed a few memories of Jack forward and his advice to not dwell on the past, only to keep it in mind for when the effects came in the future, reaching out to take Riddle’s hand. “Should we start up a secret club for slightly sadistic children that have issues because of their parents?”

“It exists already.” Riddle grinned roguishly. “It’s called Slytherin.”

Laughing, she nodded.

Smiling warmly at her, he seemed to have a thought and tilted his head. “If I may ask… where is the main form of myself? You keep talking about him as if he’s gone or… dead.”

“He might as well be.” Watching the humor fade from the man’s eyes, she studied at him closely. "You already know he went after the Potter children… and I guess he found the wrong one because his killing curse was rumored to have failed. Last I heard, he became a bodiless wraith.”

Looking off to the side, the man’s jaw clenched, eyes deepening to a wine color in fury.

Lena wasn’t sure what to say, so she just kept talking and hoped the man would see reason and calm down. “I met him while he was possessing a stuttering lump of a defense professor. He was actually fairly sane, though that might have been because enough time without a body can surely make anyone see reason… I have to admit that so far he’s been my favorite Defence teacher, though his best teaching came when he would respond to questions I would ask about the in-depth theory of magic...”

“You’re a strange child.” Riddle seemed to breathe through his anger, looking back at her once more.

She offered up a half-smile. “I know.” Then in looking around the grimy pub, she put her chin in her hand. “Isn’t this like a mindscape? Can’t you change the scenery?”

The man sent her a longsuffering look. “I am a master legilimens, occlumency is nothing more than a needed skill for me.” When she just stared at him, as occlumency usually came first and was the building block for legilimency, he sighed. “...that _might _also be a reason why my other self... lost their sense of reason.

Sighing, she laid her arms on the table, forearms up and crossed to form an X. “I’ll need some kind of contact if you want this to work.”

“And what exactly are you doing?” But Riddle reached out anyways, his hands face up, and slotted their hands together.

Lena ignored the warmth in the contact as she imagined the diner that she knew every inch of, their surroundings slowly starting to bleed from grey into the light lavender that the cafe seemed to always glow with softly when the sun started to set. “I’m bored with the greyness of the bar.”

Riddle looked around, eyeing everything with apparent fascination. “Where… is this?”

“London. By the orphanage. I worked here over the summer and helped wait tables.” When the man raised an eyebrow, she grinned. “You’d be surprised what responsibility people will give you when you act older than you are.”

Humming softly, he went back to studying their surroundings and she put her head down on their hands, closing her eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm always here for questions or comments and will try to respond in a timely manner, as the end of the semester is sucking out my soul :)  
I hope everyone's having a good day!


	16. Lena Farland and the Rat-bastard Traitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally going to see the big reveal!  
\\(^-^)/ *muffled screaming*  
I need either more sleep or to inject a lethal amount of chocolate into my veins with the way this semester is going  
I'm thinking chocolate would be a fun way to go...

“Hey! Lena!”

Slowing her walking, hands in her pockets as she turned slightly to look at where Charles Potter was walking quickly towards her (with a few of his reluctant-looking friends following him at a slower pace). “Potter.” 

Catching up to her- both their respective friends shifting restlessly behind either of them as if waiting for a duel- the boy gave her a guilty look. “I-... I wanted to say I’m sorry about last year. I mean you came back and all, so it must not have been too bad, but-”

“Trust me on this when I say I would not have come back had anyone less than Dumbledore himself asked for a personal favor… He was Jack’s friend after all.” She then tilted her head. “Would you like to try your apology again or are you going to admit that you didn’t think you did anything wrong?”

The boy flushed red and she saw a few of his friend’s faces darkening, but a glare kept them from trying anything. After a pause, Charlie rubbed the back of his neck. “I won’t apologize for trying to keep my friends safe-”

“I don’t expect you to.”

“-But I do feel bad about trying to trick you with polyjuice potion. And for not trusting you in the first place… I don’t think anyone even remembered you grew up with Muggles, we were all so afraid and you didn’t look worried and-... well it just kind of _ spiraled_.” 

Lena nodded. “Common mistake of the masses and usually the thing that starts the most riots, I am afraid. If everyone should be afraid, then the person who is not will either be torn to bits because the hive mind thinks they should conform or they will be seen as a hero. You were just pulled into the insanity of the rest of the idiots- I don’t blame you for that.”

The bushy-haired Ravenclaw- Hermione Granger- huffed. “You sure sound like you are.”

“I am not blaming him, Granger, I am merely disappointed.” Her eyes drifted from the girl and then back to Charlie. “I had expected someone so… _ sunshine _to be better about judging on face value. I guess I will just have to lower my expectations yet again.”

Ron Weasley stormed forward getting in her face angrily. “You think you’re all that! Do you really think that you can talk to him like this? Do you know who he is? What he’s done for you?”

She felt Theo and Draco go for their wands, Blaise surely palming one of the knives that the whole court pretended not to know she’d given him and she held up her hand to still them. “Ah. I thought that you might play that card. Shove the title of _ ‘Boy-Who-Lived’ _ in my face because apparently killing a single man is any _real_ accomplishment other than making you a murderer…” Her eyes slid to where Charles was watching her with a frown. “And here I thought that you were better than hiding behind your fame. I am disappointed for the second time today.”

“I’m not-”

“Lena. Your meeting is in ten minutes.” Daphne’s voice was calm, but it had a note of warning in it.

Glancing to the side to see Professors Black and Lupin heading towards their group with almost identical frowns, she nodded. “Wouldn’t want to make Tharokk wait. Shall we? I think two disappointments are enough for today… I think that we might need to hurry though.”

“Save us seats.” Draco grinned.

Looking at the wiry dark-haired boy who was the shadow at Daphne's back, she smirked. “Payback time.”

With a chuckle, Theo took off, his robes billowing out behind him as he ran and she gave a noise of outrage as if to chase him- knowing that the others would say that he’d pissed her off or give some excuse to the adults and then slip away from them in the village, as she and Theo were the fastest runners of the group.

After her transaction with the goblin that worked with trading lesser-known and… _ rarer _goods, handing-off a package after much talk over the contract and price negotiations behind a privacy barrier, she took the bottle of butterbeer from Draco and joined her friends in talking about simpler things while they walked around the small snow-covered village.

Though they, seemingly like everyone else, were drawn to where a crowd was forming.

Theo- who was the tallest- furrowed his eyebrows. “There’s a new shop where the antique boutique used to be.”

“Oh?” Daphne’s eyes were sparkling. “I wonder what they’re selling?”

The boy squinted. “They seem to be selling-”

“Chocolate.” Lena grinned. “It’s a chocolatier. Come on then- let’s go in.”

“I don’t think with the crowd-”

Blaise’s frowning tone was lost on her as she slipped through the crowd like she was so used to doing, using her small frame and the gaps between the groups to get to the front, grinning at Marie Meyza- _ a former Slytherin in Janus’ class who had graduated and then, with a bit of encouragement, gotten into a prestigious cooking school in France instead of going into the Ministry like the rest of her family_. “Marie! Good to see you!”

The girl beamed and moved to pull her into a hug, her lightly accented voice cheerful. “Lena! Janus told me you’d come to see my setup!”

“Ah, I see the Queen herself has graced us with her presence.” Isaiah Duval- a Ravenclaw alumnus and Marie’s newlywed husband- gave her a slight sneer that held no weight. “Come to check on your investment?”

“Not really. More here for some hand-made chocolate, as I might leave some out for the others.”

As there were others manning the shop and taking orders she was not worried about the two owners of the small shop talking with her- not when she’d been the one to give them the money to start up the shop as an investment, knowing how good Isaiah was with numbers and Marie was with food (_especially_ _chocolate_)- but the others were surely surprised when they finally got through the crowd.

The two alumni were both on the poorer side of the pureblood community, especially with Maria’s family refusing to help her out with her choice in careers, so they’d taken the opportunity and also invited a few of their friends to help them.

A Slytherin a few years up from Janus that Lena had yet to meet was running a smuggling business and had agreed to provide the couple with higher quality ingredients for a massive discount, the lady that rented out the building was a former Ravenclaw with a Slytherin son who convinced her to lower the price, and Lena had asked Madame Zabini to pull a favor from a food critic to come in on opening day the middle of last week and try the chocolate (which he apparently raved about to anyone who would listen).

Lena had heard that there were a few other Hogwarts alumni that had gotten into unique jobs and getting in contact with a few of them through the goblins so she could try to put a bit of the Farland vault to use for investing was childs play.

“Have fun?” Dumbledore smiled at her, eyes twinkling brightly over his half-moon spectacles as he eyed her full bag of chocolates when they got back to the castle. 

She shrugged, holding out a small paper-wrapped treat, grinning when he gave a loud hearty laugh at finding his bust had been made into a chocolate. “Try it.”

The old man did, eyes crinkling. “Lemon flavored chocolate.”

“Lemon flavored chocolate. Though personally, I think my peppermint chocolates in little ‘L’ shapes are better... but to each their own.” Lena chuckled, patting his arm as she walked past, her voice teasing. “You should be able to get a discount- y’know- on the account of being old?”

Dumbeldore’s chuckles followed them as they made their way back to the Common Room.

Levitating a pile of shrunken objects, Lena hummed as she made her way into the Chamber of Secrets. ** _:Merry Christmas!: _ **Looking around, she shrugged when she didn't see the newly named 'Delphi', starting to unshrink the objects. A large sofa that she’d ordered from the goblins that was waterproof, a sturdy wooden bookshelf, a bunch of small magical lily pads whose roots didn’t need soil to root in as it took its nutrients from the water, and a small tank of catfish and their eggs that would quickly populate the small pond.

** _:Heiress is giving gifts?: _ ** The snake moved from the pipes, its eyes seeming to gleam when she saw her pond. ** _:I too have a gift. Come this way:_ **

Following the snake, curious as to what her gift would be, she blinked when the snake led her to where a man was standing, looking at the ground, obviously petrified. 

Lena looked to the snake. ** _:How isn’t he dead?:_ **

** _:The man was looking in the lake. He had just been a rat and I smelled dinner, but then thought you would like a gift:_ **

_ Peter Pettegrew obviously wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. _

Thanking the snake a million times, she went straight to Snape’s office. “Snape. I need a favor.”

The man looked up with a raised eyebrow. “What did you do now, Miss Farland?”

“I need to use your potion labs to make two potions.”

“And _ why on earth _ would I do something like that?” The man sneered.

Thinking, worrying at her lip, she looked at the man pleadingly. “I’ll lend you a rare book on potions I got in Knockturn, but I need to make a potion first... Please?” 

With a long sigh, the man nodded. “You have the next two hours and I want that book in the morning.”

Nodding, she ran to the potion labs, getting set to brew two large batches of mandrake restorative draught. Cleaning up hastily, she quickly moved back to the Chamber and put six of her seven vials of restorative potion on the empty bookshelf. 

Taking the last vial, she tied the man up in her invisible webs of magic, making sure that it was as tight as she could make it so he couldn’t escape, and then poured the vial down the short man's throat.

Lena then moved to sit back on the couch, making sure her fingers were loosely gripping the stings of her magic.

The man seemed to crumble into a pile on the floor, coughing and wheezing.

“Peter Pettegrew… I have a few questions for you.”

Stilling, she could tell the man was looking at where he was, finally lifting his head with those crazed eyes looking at her as he grinned at her with rotted teeth. “I have heard of you while roaming the halls of the castle trying to get into Slytherin… the Mudblood Queen that thinks she's worthy of-” The man stood up and took out a knife and her hand closed around the strings, making him go stiff. "What- what is-"

“My name is Lena and I have little patience for people that betray their family, blood or not.” Wrapping a string around each finger, she tilted her head. “Now tell me… what was your Lord like? Before the Potters, of course. Because I’ve met a few versions of him… but I think that you knew him as someone completely different.”

“You don’t deserve-”

She twitched her right index finger, making the man point the knife in his hand at himself. “Tell me what I want to hear or I make you gut yourself slowly while your organs drip slowly onto the marble floors. Because I will heal you each time, wait until you're conscious and then make you do it again. And again. And again. By the time I am finished with you, you will beg me to-”

“Okay!” The man looked to the knife, shuddering, and then to her. She saw a flicker of fear in his eyes before it was covered with manic insanity again. “My Lord was… _ magnificent_. He could walk into any room and draw everyone’s attention. His gaze was like-”

Lena scowled, making the knife dig into his stomach just slightly. “Tell me about his _goals_, fool, not his _appearance_. I know all too well about _that_. No, what did he _want? _”

Pettigrew grinned madly. “Death to all with anything less than pure blood. To use the dark creatures and then turn against them when we had the Magical world in our hands, make the rivers run red with the blood of the non-magical.”

“Insane.” She nodded, notedly disappointed. “He was insane.”

“HE WAS _ BRILLIANT_!”

Shaking her head, she moved the man so he was gazing in the water and slipped into the snake language. ** _:Darling, will you come to petrify the rat again?:_ **

** _:Of course Heiress.: _ **The snake moved out behind her, the man once again petrifying.

With a sigh, she let her web of magic unravel and didn't bother to move the man and then saying goodnight to the Basilisk, moved back to the Common Room. 

Maybe she’d turn the man in later.

_ If she went near him right now she was afraid she’d kill him in irritation. _

Lena was almost out of the Defense classroom when Sirius Black stepped in her path. “Miss Farland. I thought I said to stay after class?”

“I thought Blaise warned you that I don’t want to talk to you.” She stepped to the side, the man matching her. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced to where the others were waiting for her and sighed softly as if it was painful to be near the man. “Fine... But the next time you don’t let me leave, I will curse you and Dumbledore will back me up on it.”

The man nodded, his grey eyes unusually solemn.

Moving back to the desks, she sat down in the front row heavily. “What's this all about then?”

Lupin moved forward with what looked like an old piece of parchment, putting it in front of her and then tapping it. “I solemnly swear I’m up to no good.”

Watching ink come to existence, reading over what looked like nicknames and the title of the ‘Marauder's Map’, she raised an eyebrow. “A map. Cool.” Then she scanned it, pleased to see it didn’t have a few of the secret passageways she’d found, nor the Room of Requirement or the Chamber of Secrets.

“This map was one that Sirius, James Potter, I, and one other made when we were in Hogwarts. It’s supposed to show the real name of whoever is on it…” The man flipped open the map before putting a finger down on a room. “...Did you know?”

Lena stared at where the map of the room showed three pairs of footprints.

One Sirius Black, one Remus Lupin, and the third… _ ‘Helena Potter’_.

“That’s not me.” She stood rigidly. “Your map’s wrong. Sorry, but I can’t help you.” Moving towards the door, Black caught her arm and she spun so her wand was at his throat. Her voice was soft. “You and I both know that there are over a million spells to track someone down, especially if related by blood… so whoever you think I was, she died the moment you didn’t even try to find me.”

“We thought you _dead_, Helena.” Lupin’s face was anguished.

Backing up slowly, wand still raised, she tore her hand from the Auror's grip. “Helena doesn’t exist. My name is _ Lena _ and the only family I’ve ever known was _ Jack_.” Then she turned and ran from the room, taking the passage to the Chamber of Secrets that was activated by parseltongue so they couldn’t follow her, even _with _their stupid map.

Sinking into the sofa, she curled herself into a ball.

She needed to think for a while.

She had to figure out if she wanted a family that didn’t even know her.

_ A family that had left her in Hell. _

_ A family... without Jack. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else is sort of irritated with Black and Lupin right now?  
I'm just imagining Lena slowly breakdancing with sunglasses on as Black, Lupin, and Lily all try to explain themselves loudly in the background ^-^


	17. Lena Farland and the Rejected Claim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for some trouble in paradise... {cue evil laughter}  
We get Tom, more family drama, and some BAMF! Dumbledore!  
Enjoy!

Staring at the pool of water from her place laying on the sofa, ignoring the Basilisk that wandered through the Chamber occasionally, she didn’t move from the couch for quite a while. 

Going over the memories of every family that had wanted to adopt her and then rejected her the second she was remotely herself with them, of Jack’s lessons, of how as a little girl she’d always wanted a family- she pondered the thought of the Potters.

_ She liked Charles Potter- how could she not? He was a loyal-to-a-fault Hufflepuff with a bit of Gryffindor ridiculousness mixed in. _

_ But… _

_ There was a reason she’d stopped trying to get adopted by the time she’d turned six. _

_ Because no one would understand her. _

_ Jack was a lucky chance to have nearby, as he was understanding of her shortcomings, but the Potters… _

_ They wouldn’t understand her. _

_ Not her cruel streak, not her inability to smile on command, and they definitely would _ ** _not _ ** _understand _ _her odd interest in the Dark Lord. _

_ She had all the family she needed in Jack and the Slytherins. _

Mind made up, she spent the night in the Chamber, having the elves bring her food and reading books in the hidden library the Basilisk had shown her. Finally, in a place to stand up to the men, she wove her magic around Peter Pettegrew before placing him under a strong silencing and disillusionment spell. 

Reviving him from his petrification, she pulled the net closed again and used her hands to control his movements, practicing until it was at least somewhat natural.

Taking the passage that led out near the Great Hall, she walked in, having the man march like a little toy soldier in front of her.

Dumbledore stood, eyes wide, but he must have seen her magic holding the man through his enchanted glasses because he stopped himself from his instinct of cursing Pettegrew on sight to defend the hall. His eyes darted to her quizzically. “…and what is this?”

“I brought you a present, old man.” She tilted her head and smiled. 

“H-Helena?” A woman with bright red hair and green eyes (that were dimmer and less unnerving than hers) stood from the Head Table, looking as if she was about to burst into tears. “Helena- oh- my baby, I can’t believe you’re here... alive and- and all grown!” The woman was crying now and starting to walk towards her, the hall whispering.

Releasing the disillusionment charm as the woman got closer, the hall was further sent into panic as Pettegrew came into view and the woman screamed, the teachers standing- all with their wands out.

Dumbledore raised a hand to the teachers, making them still. “My dear… why?”

Pulling at the strings, she made Pettigrew do a mock tap dance, watching Lily Potter’s face turn white with a deep satisfaction considering she'd spent all night feeling vaguely sick over the choice she had to make. “And here I thought you’d _ like _ your gift...” Making Pettigrew twirl like an awkward ballerina and then letting go of his strings so he crumbled to the floor before pulling them tight again so he couldn't move, she tilted her head. “I had all the family I wanted in Jack and now I have the House of Slytherin. I don’t want to be a Potter and since you declared ‘Helena Potter’ dead that night- then that’s what she is. I’m not some stupid weak-willed child you can place claim over, and if anyone tries to do such a thing… they will find that I will _ not _tolerate it.”

Pulling one of the strings tight, the man started to suffocate and she watched blankly as he slowly turned purple from the lack of air.

“Dear girl… would Jack approve of your actions here?”

The string slipping from her finger when she twitched slightly, Pettegrew taking a labored gasp, she looked up to Dumbledore with emotionless eyes. “That's not fair and you know it.”

Dumbledore watched her for a long moment. “You made your point Lena. No one will force you to be someone you don’t want to be. You are not obligated to recognize the Potters in their claim.”

Letting the strings go- Pettegrew crumpling to the ground- she put her hands in her pockets and nodded. “Thank you for your trust.” Then she walked right past the woman so she could sit down next to Blaise.

“I forget how ruthless you are sometimes...” The boy watched her with unreadable eyes. “And yet you really do have a bad habit of worrying everyone.”

She chuckled, but it was humorless. “Do you think your mom would really adopt me? Or at least stay over the summer? I really don’t want to have to run into Potters and company should they 'accidentally' show up at the orphanage.”

The boy grimaced. “I was going to tell you, but my mom’s getting remarried and I don’t think you should be around that. Honeymoon’s usually a bit…” Shaking his head, the boy bumped his shoulder with hers. “We’ll find you somewhere to stay over the summer, no need to worry.”

  
  


Charlie was feeling as if he missed something.

Peter Pettegrew escaped from the Aurors and the staff was searching the castle, but Lena just smiled serenely at the two houses in the Common Room. “Pettigrew won’t be coming back to Hogwarts.” Her eyes drifted to where he sat, seeming to direct her next words to him. “You are safe.” 

“How can you be sure?” His whisper was soft but carried through the quiet room.

“How long?” It was Ginny that spoke up instead of the girl that was supposed to be his sister, the youngest Weasley’s face slightly pale but her eyes determined as she looked at Lena. “How long… how long was he down there?” 

Lena looked to the girl, eyes studying her. “You remember what happened then.” 

There was no explanation offered, but the rest of the Slytherins seemed to exchange looks at this as if they had an idea of the meaning behind the cryptic conversation.

Ginny nodded, lips pressed together tightly. 

Lena smiled at the girl, but there was an aspect of vicious cruelty to it that surprised him. “He was down there for about four or five months as my… _ friend _ was very courteous with keeping him very _very_ still when I wasn't trying to understand what his motives were.” Waving her hand as if that admission meant nothing, she started for the opposite side of the Common Room. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have something important to do.”

The youngest Weasley’s face was hard with certainty when she looked to Charles after Lena had disappeared toward the dorms. “Rest assured. Pettigrew will not come back. He'll have run as far away as he can.”

“Why?” Diggory looked between him and the girl, the same question on Charlie’s lips.

Ginny looked to where Lena had gone, smiling grimly. “Because that’s what I would have done if I hadn’t had the promise of being safe. There is a monster in this castle…” The Hufflepuffs shifted slightly at the girl’s tone, but then a grin came across Ginny’s face, eyes glinting with something dark. “And she goes by the name of Lena Farland.”

“Ginevra.” The fire illuminated the sharp planes of a group of faces, each looking inhuman as if they were made of marble and a type of cold wrath that had the hair on the back of his neck tingling. Blaize Zabini’s eyes reminded him of poison in the light as he bared his teeth at the girl slowly. “Do not let me hear you say such things again.”

“As much as we Slytherins think that there is nothing wrong with accepting every single aspect of a person… Lena has to come to that mindset on her own and she would not appreciate that moniker.” Theodore Nott didn’t look up from where he was cleaning out his nails with the tip of a quill, something threatening in the entirely still way he sat.

Daphne Greengrass smiled sharply at the girl from where she was leaning on Nott's seat, her eyes like shards of ice, fingernails looking a bit too much like claws in the flickering light of the fire. "Soon, my dear. Soon she will understand... and we will be there when she does."

Dipping her head, Ginny sat back down but smiled as if she had a secret. “I will wait then.”

The Hufflepuffs all exchanged glances when all the Slytherins nodded solemnly.

The House of Badgers were all reminded that though these kids had seemed so harmless in their unrelenting consumption of chocolate and reading muggle books, they were still Slytherins, and like Sirius always said: _ If a Slytherin is carrying a sword, there will always be blood on the blade. _

Lena sat down in front of Riddle, holding out her hands, and when he took them, changed the scenery to a table in the public library she’d been many times before. “I got to talk to Pettigrew.”

“How?” He looked her over as if searching for wounds.

“The basilisk paralyzed him for me.” She shook her head. “That’s not the reason I came to see you… He said the other version of you wanted death to all dark creatures, Muggles, and even magicals without pure blood.”

The hands holding hers clenched tightly, nails sinking into her skin.

Looking down at their hands, she frowned slightly. “Either let go or loosen your grip. If you keep on like that, you’ll bruise my hands, and I don't want to find out if that will translate to my real body.” 

Instantly letting go and pulling back, the man looked away from her, clenching his fists tightly into balls. The grey bar scenery returned. “Apologies...” It was quiet, his hands still clenched. “But I’m going to ask for you to destroy my consciousness. Light the diadem on fire and when it gets red hot... I’ll be gone.”

“Are you sure?” 

Riddle looked back to her, hands slowly unclenching, and he gave her a roguish grin. “My dear, I would not ask this of you if I wasn't. We must be sure that I never turn into that- that _ thing _ ever again… but I am certain that I will see you again.”

“There are more?” She raised an eyebrow when the man just smiled. “How many?”

“Three more.”

Huffing, she stood. “Fine. Into the fire you go.” As she turned to leave, she was turned around and pulled back into a hug, the taller figure smiling down at her widely when she blinked up at him. 

“For good luck.” Rolling her eyes and putting her arms up lightly, she was let go after a long moment, the man waving mockingly as he sat back down. “See you soon!”

Lena rolled her eyes, heading for the door of the bar, waking up in her bed, and pulling the Diadem off. The blue jewels seemed to glint in the light and she thought she could see red eyes watching her for a moment before they were gone. Strolling into the Common Room, where the Slytherins were all being casual but the Hufflepuffs seemed unusually stiff, she walked over to the fire and tossed the diadem in.

“What… what are you doing?”

“Destroying a spirit that was possessing an innocent object. Again. They just don’t know when to quit.” Not looking back even when Ginny said _‘What?’_ in a slightly strangled tone, she waited until the diadem got an angry orange-red color, before flicking her hand and levitating it from the fire. Looking into the blue gems, she hummed when no red eyes were looking back at her. “Well, that was… _ uneventful _compared to the diary.”

Ginny moved to her side, looking at the diadem in equal parts horror and fascination. “He-… Something was possessing this one too?”

Lena glanced at the girl, nodding. “Though I liked this one better. Less murderous.” Seeing the diadem had cooled, she poked it and at finding it was cool to the touch, she put it on. Turning to Daphne, she grinned. “How’s this for the ‘Ice Queen’ aesthetics?”

“Lena… where did you find Ravenclaw’s lost Diadem?” Daphne’s voice was slightly defeated as if almost expecting this turn of events.

Blinking, she took the diadem off and studied it. _Huh._ “Stumbled across it. Why? It’s quite pretty… do you think I have to give it back to Dumbles? I’d rather keep it.” She grinned at the girl. “You _ did _say I needed to wear more jewelry.”

“Ten galleons that you won’t wear it to the End-of-the-Year feast and knock the socks off the Great Hall!” 

“That’s a bet, Bletchley.” She smirked and put the diadem back on, sitting back in her chair. “Now _peasants… _who wants to play Monopoly? She grinned as half the Slytherins ran from the common room in fear of the muggle game, the Hufflepuffs looking more than a bit unnerved.

The possessed muggle that was more Tom Riddle than Lord Voldemort jolted slightly as a memory came to him of a time spent traveling across the wide stretches of the world- of a girl with long silken black hair leaning against his side in peaceful slumber, beautiful and warm, as if she was a star fallen to earth.

_ Ah. _ _So his little Queen was playing with his fate yet again, making plans and running around charming the masses… _

Smirking, the man with red eyes that were hidden by sunglasses stood from where he’d been sitting in a small coffee shop and started out the door.

_ Why not put his piece on the board then- make some plans too and see where they met? _ _ Plus, Bertha Jorkins had been too big a help to waste her knowledge. _

Letting go of his possession of the muggle’s body, the smoke-like form rose into the air, flying over London and heading for Little Hangeton. 

_ He’d collect the ring… and then head for the Malfoy Manor, as they were loyal and could get in touch with the people he needed to put his plans into action. _

_ He would see his Queen again, sooner rather than later. _

Walking into the Great Hall for the feast with Ravenclaw’s diadem on would have been much more satisfying if Charles Potter hadn’t stepped into her path, face a mess of guilt. “Helena… I know you’re alone. I know that it must have been hard without us, but we- but I’m your family. Your twin.” He reached out for her with hope in his eyes.

“Touch me and I swear I’ll never look at you again.” She could see him freeze, the hurt in his eyes, but the cold anger had been building up in her chest for years and she needed to let some of it out. “You think you know anything about me? About what my life was like while you were basking in your fame, with your happy family and big house? I was locked in a cellar, starving, and crying myself to sleep!”

Charlie flinched but seemed determined to press on like some stupid Gryffindor. “You don’t have to go back Helena, we'll-”

“Lena. My _ name _ is _ Lena _ .” Her voice was a hiss. “And while you were grieving your hero of a father in your castle of gifts from admirers without a care in the world, I was being beaten because I let my dad _die_. You don’t know a single thing about me… I can name your favorite color, what your least favorite subject is, and every name of all of your friends and family- and I bet you don’t even know the name of the man that raised me or what my favorite food is.”

“Jack Farland. Peppermints and chocolate.” The boy raised his chin just slightly, eyes determined. “And James Potter was your father.”

Daphne put a hand on her shoulder and she only then realized she was shaking in rage, a trail of tears running down the left side of her face, the girl’s voice a soft mutter in her ear. “You don’t have to do this Lena.”

Taking a shaky breath to steady herself back into her blank mask, feeling her heart freeze over with nothing but apathy, she wiped her cheek slowly. “Chocolate I carry because I’m head of Slytherin house. Peppermints are a reminder that I went through hell and lived. And _ Jackson _ Farland _ was _my father.” 

A soft sob came from up on the dais where Lily Potter was sat.

“Can’t you see reason? You're going to reject a family because we haven't even gotten the chance to know you?” Sirius Black stormed towards her, looking furious. “What kind of ungrateful-”

“SIRIUS ORION BLACK!” 

The man froze mid-step.

Dumbledore’s eyes were cold blue, standing with his hands clenched. When his voice came out again, it was calm but held a weight that she knew was the true voice of the man that had been made into a weapon of war. “You and the Potters made their claim and it was rejected by Miss Farland, who has already been accepted by magic as Jackson Farland’s daughter. Should you try to force her hand, not I nor anyone but yourself will not be responsible for your fate.” His gaze swept to where she was shaking slightly with adrenaline. “Lena, my dear, if you would please forgive his behavior and release your _ frightening _amount of magic…”

She imagined it was a sight to see from the dais, the sharp blades of magic hovering in a sphere around Black, waiting for the barest exhale of a sign she was in danger from the man.

Slowly letting it melt to the floor and back into her core, she took off the diadem and moved past Charles without even a glance, shoving the artifact at Black as she passed him. “Maybe this will help you figure it out. You have no right to me. I’m not Helena Potter and no amount of threatening will make me be her.”

Then she sat down and cast multiple privacy spells and silencing charms around the Slytherin table so she didn’t have to hide the fact she had started to cry again.

_ Weak. _

“Whatever that thought that just crossed your head was- kill it.” Blaise put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her into his chest. “You’ve seen all of us cry at one point or another… I think you deserve to be a bit upset over this.”

Theo snorted softly. “There’s no way we’d judge you for crying Lena Bean. Not when Dumbledore practically told us you were seconds away from killing Black.”

Lena sniffed slightly, voice slightly choked. “I would have gotten away with it too… if it weren’t for you miserable brats.”

From down the table, Ginny burst into laughter, making her smile despite herself as the rest of the court just shared exasperated looks. Daphne rolled her eyes. “I sometimes hate not understanding your muggle inside jokes- it’s not fair.”

“Worth it though… I wonder when Black will see he’s holding Ravenclaw’s diadem?”

A shout was muffled by the charms around the table, but still audible.

The corner of her lips turned up just the slightest bit. “There it is. Bletchly? You owe me.”

The boy down the table groaned slightly, but there was a grin on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean... I'm almost expecting the rotten fruit for the end of this year... (no tomatoes though- blegh)  
Wonder how much better next year will be, as Lena's life just seems to be getting more and more complicated ^-^  
I'm always open to questions or comments!  
Night loves!


	18. Why Not A Bit of Domesticity?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope no one is drowning in green jello- that's my job.  
*eyes you warily*  
No green jello for you.

It was in Severus Snape that she found someone to stay the summer with, as he asked if he could still be her godfather and she liked his sarcastic humor enough to say yes (which was good with Magic), so they went to the Goblins first thing after leaving Hogwarts.

Snape moved to a teller, putting a clenched fist over his heart. “I am here to make sure the right paperwork has been filed for my guardianship of Lena Farland.”

The goblin grunted, then moved to write something on a black stone, a file appearing before him. Looking through it, glancing at her from time to time, the man nodded. “The paperwork is up to date. Though Heiress Slytherin-Farland has yet to take up her heirships.”

“Ah. Right.” Recalling the tradition that heirs to houses would get rings to protect them from harm at the age of thirteen, she looked to the teller with a sharp smile. "If I may collect my heirship rings now, I would appreciate it if I could take any paperwork or information with me to send in later."

With a nod, as if she was right in asking for that, another file was sent for, and then she was handed a folder that she carefully tucked in her bag.

Two boxes were set on the edge of the teller’s desk and she sighed slightly. 

_ She got the feeling that this would help a bit with the idiot purebloods, but as for the rest of Hogwarts... _

Opening the first one to see a silver ring with two snakes wrapped around an emerald, she looked to Snape, who pointed to his right ring finger. Slipping it on, she felt a soft warm sensation and then opened the other box to see a simple gold band bearing a sword on it. The dark-haired potions master pointed to his left pinky finger and she slipped it on her left hand. 

“Great.” She smiled at the goblin toothily. “My vaults?” 

With a grin back the goblin nodded. “The investment you made into Hogsmeade paid off- the small chocolate shop is doing quite well, as they import very cheap thanks to you, and as for the… potion ingredients you sent us- they were _quite _lucrative. The Farland vault is doing quite well.”

“Cancel the scholarship then and mail me a statement on my vaults so I can go over them at a later time. Good day.”

The goblin nodded to her. “You as well, Heiress.”

Snape side-eyed her as they picked up a few things in the apothecary, portkeying to his smaller townhouse so she could get through the wards. “You know that the Slytherin Heirship will come with problems… right?”

“And I will meet them as they come. Do you mind if I take a nap?” She padded into the house and looked back so she could see the man point to a room. “Thanks. I’ll be up to make dinner, as I usually don’t sleep that long.”

Lena and Snape (he’d told her to call him Severus, but she wasn’t sure about that for now) had a process. She’d do most of the cooking, as she liked the process when it wasn’t for the Orphanage, going grocery shopping nearby every week and occupying herself when she was bored. Snape made potions over the summer that he then sold to various apothecaries, so she had picked up a part-time job at a large bookstore just a few bus stops away so she could read and be out of the house while the man was brewing.

She was shelving books, listening to her walkman with headphones- _ having gotten the muggle technology after an older teenager working at the shop had suggested she listen to music while working- _ when a hand tapped her shoulder.

Purposefully suppressing her instincts to throw whoever it was across the room, as she’d already almost broken some kid’s wrist for startling her, she turned to blink at where Draco Malfoy was standing. Slipping off her headphones, she blinked at seeing Narcissa Malfoy standing behind the boy staring at her. “Um… what’s up person I _ definitely _don’t know?”

“Lena? Why- I thought you lived in London?” Draco seemed just as confused to see her as she was.

“Snape’s my godfather. We came to a deal for me to stay with him, though I picked up a job here to get out of the house.” Lena tilted her head. “Why are you and your mom here?”

Draco smirked. “I had Mother read Fahrenheit 451 and since Father’s in some meeting with a muggle, we decided to check this place out.” The boy then looked at her walkman like it was an acromantula. “What were you doing, dancing around like that?”

Rolling her eyes, she pulled the headphones off her neck and put them over the boy’s ears. Pressing play, she snickered when his eyes went wide.

“THAT’S AWE-” She pulled the headphones off and he immediately flushed and quieted down. “That’s awesome! Is that some muggle invention?”

Lena nodded, putting the headphones back around her neck once more as she moved the cart full of books down the aisle slightly, putting away a few books. “I have shelving to do, but have fun with your browsing and tell me if you need help finding anything.”

Grinning at her, the boy nodded and moved back to where Lady Malfoy was standing, talking with his mother quietly.

She ignored them and continued as she was, blinking when Narcissa Malfoy moved to hold out a hand to her. “Miss Farland… If you would like, we would be more than happy to ask Severus if you could come to Draco’s birthday party this year.”

“Sure. It might be fun to go, as I’ve never been to one before… Will there be many people?”

The woman seemed to freeze, before licking her lips and looking to Draco, who nodded. “If I may ask...” The woman was eyeing at her in a strange sort of concern. “Have you ever celebrated your birthday?”

Lena shrugged. “Jack used to get me out of chores for a day sometime in the summer and buy me a candy bar… and at the coffee shop, Miss Stacy made me a big quiche and put a small candle in it.” She tilted her head. “Matron didn’t care enough and I was fine with that because it meant she wasn’t paying attention to me.”

Lady Malfoy looked to Draco again, both having the same pinched expression Blaise or Theo did when she talked of the Orphanage. “Miss Farland, would you like to celebrate your birthday with Draco? We could easily have a joint party and invite anyone you wanted...”

“Oh… Really?” She glanced at Draco, who nodded. “Janus and Dumbledore would be who I would want to invite then, as I assume most of the other Slytherins are coming.”

The woman blinked slowly. “Dumbledore?”

“He’s my honorary grandfather, but it’s most definitely unspoken. He has good advice and even better lemon drops.” Lena chuckled to herself and then shelved a few more books.

“Well… I suppose we could make up an invitation for him, as he probably won’t stay long…” The woman peered at her son. “Not a word to your father or he’ll combust.” 

Lena smirked as the two said their goodbyes, disappearing further into the shop.

_ A birthday party… sounded fun. _

_ Maybe Snape would say yes? _

“No.”

Lena glared across the table at the man, stabbing her homemade pot pie with a scowl. “Why not! Miss Malfoy said it was okay! Janus and Blaise and Theo and Daphne will all be there- hell she even said she’d send a secret invitation to Dumbledore!”

“What?” The man blinked. “She _what? _”

“Mrs. Malfoy's going to send a secret invitation to Dumbledore, as I requested he is invited because he’s a lonely old man like Jack and he needs a bit of social interaction once and a while!” Her voice was raised as she glared at the man.

Snape stared at her before bursting into loud laughter.

Lena stabbed her pot pie again, shoving a piece in her mouth grumpily. “I hate you.”

“You-” He was still laughing slightly. “You talk about Albus as if he’s some senile old man! If he ever heard you say that…”

She smirked. “You’ve never had one of his Lemon Drops, have you?” Then she leaned in with a conspiratorial whisper. “Guess what? They’re laced with some pretty strong stuff that’s probably like muggle Marijuana.”

The man choked on his tea. “_What_?”

“_Now _ tell me who’s so old he needs something with such strong pain relief that he’s basically high all the time?” Sitting back in her chair with a smug grin, she took another bite of pot pie and watched the man try to process that.

“Fine.” Snape sighed. “You can go… but I’m going to curse anyone you don’t know that tries to talk to you.”

She gave him a weird look, but shrugged it off and just smiled. “Whatever.”

“_And _ Narcissa will want you to wear some type of dress.”

Lena groaned softly.

_ So much for jeans and a t-shirt. _

Lena and Snape had argued for at least an hour about the few dresses she had, finally showing up ten minutes late, with Lena wearing a white dress shirt tucked into a knee-length blue and gold high-waisted skirt that had taken more than a few minutes doing up complicated laces on the back.

Scowling at the man, who scowled back, she moved down the stairs away from him faster than usual, looking around and letting a smile overtake her face when she found Janus in the crowd. Immediately heading his way, she gave him a crooked smile when he noticed her. “Hey, Carr-mel.” 

“Lena Bean, look how tall you’ve gotten!” The boy went to mess with her hair, smiling widely when she bared her teeth in a dare to mess with her hair. 

_ It had taken her almost ten minutes to wrestle her long hair into the high-ponytail and if he messed it up she would kill him. _

“Happy birthday Lean-Bean-Lena-Machine!” 

Looking over to where Blasie sauntered over with Daphne and Draco by him, she smiled widely, making it a bit threatening. “Zucchini… what did I tell you about that nickname?”

The boy raised an eyebrow and put a hand to his chin as if thinking. “I think it was… that you like it?” 

“You, my green vegetable, are _ replaceable_.” Flicking his nose lightly, she looked around the room. The fancy ballroom was decorated in Slytherin colors, a whole bunch of fancy Lords and Ladies milling about and pretending not to be watching them. “It’s beautiful, Draco. I’ll have to do something nice for your mom… Are there any others our age coming?”

The group shared looks. 

“Well, _I’m _ here, thanks for noticing.” Theo stalked over, hands in the pockets of his black slacks.

Lena smiled, patting his shoulder. “I knew you’d be late, as you seem to always be a few steps behind me.” She then twirled out of the way of his hex, chuckling as the boy scowled at her. Spotting Marcus and a few of the Quidditch team coming down the stairs, she waved to them, smirking when they headed over. “My crownless ex-King and Princes. How does this day fare with you?”

With few shrugs and a grunt from Warrington, Marcus scowled as he pulled at his bowtie agitatedly like a cat trying to get out of its collar. “I’m not staying long. I hate dressing up in these stupid outfits.”

Bletchly and Montague nodded in agreement.

“That’s fine.” She waved it off, grinning toothily. “I’m just excited to see a few of my snakes outside of school. And I have a surprise guest coming too that’ll _ really _make this party great...”

“I hate your surprises sometimes Lena. My father’s going to have a heart attack.” Draco sounded as if he was dreading her ‘surprise guest’ more than anything else.

She tilted her head with a smile. “That, Draco, _ was the point_.”

Daphne snickered- probably already having heard the boy whine about it- but Janus raised an eyebrow. “What did you do this time Lena? I leave and you not only decide to claim the Slytherin heirship but you turn out to be related to the Boy-Who-Lived _ and _ catch Peter Pettigrew- which is making the Auror department think about recruiting you, by the way.”

“You- wait you have _ what _heirship?”

Holding up her hand to Marcus, she frowned at Janus. “Why would they recruit _ me _?” She raised an eyebrow. “Have I ever, in the time you’ve known me, commended the Ministry?”

The older boy smirked. “We all know the answer to that, but as there are more than a few Ministry officials here- including me… I will refrain from commenting.” 

“Theodore.” The older man with the judging eyes who she knew was Theo’s grandfather, moved to the side of their group. “You and your friends will converse later. I want to introduce you to a gentleman I know.”

Janus leaned over to her, voice quiet. “The parents are going to call everyone away to mingle, trying to make connections.”

And just as the boy said, Lucius Malfoy waved at Draco like some dog, Lady Greengrass smiling thinly at her as she put a hand on Daphne’s shoulder, Madame Zabini moving their way in an elegant dress.

With a nod, she sighed. “Go. I would rather not ruin my clothes dueling any of your parents for control of your time.” Sending a look at Lord Nott that had the man sneering, she took Janus’ arm and steered them away. “So... where are the drinks in this place?”

“You’re not drinking.” Janus narrowed his eyes at her, then smirked. “Want to meet my boss?”

“You’re no fun.” Lena scowled, tugging her arm away from him. “You go do your adult things too, I guess. I’ll go find something to do- something that _ doesn’t _involve drinking.” She added on when he raised an eyebrow.

Nodding, Janus left her for his ‘boss’.

With a small sigh, she moved around the room, trying to find someone she knew- like Snape- but instead, she was without sight of anyone she knew while getting stared at.

_ Wonderful. _

“Need someone to talk to, my dear girl?” The old Headmaster appeared by her side as if he’d always been there, smiling at her with twinkly blue eyes from behind his half-moon spectacles. “I don’t recall awarding Slytherin the House Cup this last year, but it sure looks like it…”

Chuckling, she beamed and held out a peppermint that she’d bought especially for the man, as little else could fit in the small breast pocket of her dress-shirt. “Trade?” When he did so, she relaxed just a bit, reassured by the man’s gentle presence. Putting the lemon drop in her mouth, she smirked at where Snape was striding her way with narrowed eyes. 

The Headmaster looked at her over his glasses, amused. “You told Severus?”

“It was for a good cause.” Lena shrugged.

“What are _ you _doing here!” Lucius Malfoy beat Snape to being red with indignation, pointing his cane at Dumbledore.

Glancing at her for just a second when she looked away innocently, Dumbledore pulled out a fancy invitation from his bright yellow robes, humming. “Well, Mr. Malfoy… I suspect that the invitation to Lena’s birthday was part of it. She did give me a very nice present for my birthday this year, after all, even if it was _ unfortunately _lost in transit.”

“Next time I’ll just give you his head and be done with it.” Lena smiled sweetly at the old man, who chuckled.

“Have I ever told you that you remind me of my old friend, Gellert Grindelwald?” The man looked down at her with a fond smile, ignoring Malfoy. “He was just like you as a boy. Same witty humor too… though I sometimes suspected he wasn’t joking.”

Lena smiled_. She wasn't joking either. _ “Oh, was he the one you were forced to fight? I remember that story, though it was a bit different in the history books I have.”

Dumbledore nodded. “Yes, well I refuse to read such books, as they paint Gellert and me as opposites when we were very close- well- up until he killed my fiancee in a jealous rage.”

“That’d do it.” She snickered.

Snape huffed as he got to them, putting his hand on his hips like McGonagall when she was irritated. “Lena, spit that out this instant or so help me, I will drag you home.”

Lena looked up to Dumbledore. “Oh, did you poison it?”

“Not this time, my dear… You?”

“Always. You must be immune to this poison too.”

The man in all black threw up his hands with a noise of frustration. “You two are impossible! I don’t understand why you get along so well- you're literally _ opposites_!”

“Well, that’s a good story.” Dumbledore smiled at the man brightly and Lena wondered how many lemon drops he’d had. “Lena here destroyed a diary possessing a young girl to open the Chamber of Secrets and claimed the Slytherin heirship to stop Salazar’s familiar from attacking the school. Though I never really got an answer as to _ why _she did it.” The man looked to her as if waiting for a reason.

“Spite.”

Nodding as if that explained everything, the man patted her shoulder and then handed her a small package that he’d pulled out of his bright robes. “Happy Birthday, my dear.”

Smiling, she carefully opened the wrapping paper, glancing at the man when there was a small jewelry box inside. Slowly cracking it open, she stared at the metal bracelet that she’d sold when she’d been nine and starving. Holding it out without a single word, she let the man put it on her wrist before giving him a real smile full of happiness and unrestrained joy. “It’s horrible, but I’m getting the urge to pawn it for a bag of peppermints.”

Dumbledore laughed brightly, eyes sparkling. “Thank you for your trust, my dear.”

“And thanks for your patience, as always, old man.” She watched the man start up the stairs, before turning to Snape. “I bet you a weeks worth my choice of dinner that you won’t dance with me.”

“You always make dinner anyway. Why in Merlin’s name would I take that bet?” The man glowered at her.

She glared back. “I’ve seen a lot of cactuses, but out of all of them, you’re definitely the biggest_ prick_.” Laughing as she danced out of the way of his snarling hex, she flicked her wrist to buckle his knees, and then smirked and moved to stand over where the man had fallen to the ground. “What happened to not casting at me? I thought that making you wash your hair would be enough punishment for silencing me last time I tried to ask about your day?”

Snape glared up at her. “Insolent brat.”

“Maybe.” She held out her hand. “But really, I’m not a fan of having spells cast in my general direction.” Pulling him up, she flicked her wand to clean him off just in case. “The last person to hex me ended up in the hospital wing.”

Two hands moved to rest on her shoulders, Janus smiling down on her. “I think I apologized for that, didn’t I?” Then he made a face as if thinking about it. “I might not have thought about it. So... sorry.”

Lena waved his apology aside. “Bygones.”

“Queenie!” Blaise waved her down from where he was sitting on the arm of an armchair in a group of sofas. “Presents!”

Janus moved his arms, letting her move over to the group, following close behind. She blinked. “Dumbledore gave me my present.” She shook her wrist, letting the silver bracelet jingle. 

“And you say I’m slow.” Theo snorted. “You have one from each of us. Like Yule.”

Moving to sit in the empty armchair the group was sitting near, she sat down and blinked at the small pile of presents in front of her. “But I don’t have anything in return. And that’s… oddly distressing.” She ignored their looks, frowning slightly as she tried to sort out _why _that distressed her before shrugging. “I blame the orphanage.”

The Slytherins all made soft huffing sounds, used to her dark humor.

Taking out a carefully wrapped package, she threw it at Draco. “Switch off? You open two, I open one?” _ His pile was much bigger, but she was happy with her presents. _

“Sure.” Draco started ripping open his presents, getting a set of nice journals and a fine cloak she was probably going to end up stealing from him later to sew runes into.

Picking one she could guess was from Daphne, she opened it carefully, blinking when she found a pair of long socks, holding them up and raising an eyebrow.

The girl just winked at her. “They’re charmed to change based on the rest of your outfit. Dead useful when wearing the bright colors that you don’t have socks for… _ hint hint_.”

“Your hint was taken under consideration.” She smiled when the girl rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Daph.”

Draco opened two more presents, getting a book on curses that looked very old with dragon scale bindings and a thick winter cloak, giving fake smiles and platitudes to the people who gave them.

“Let’s see here…” Opening Theo’s gift, she found a small charm in the shape of a heart. Reaching out with her magic, she looked at the boy. “Anti-love potion charm? Useful, though I would like to find an idiot with enough of a death wish to try to dose me with a love potion… for _ science, _of course.” Grinning toothily, she clipped the charm to the bracelet Theo had gotten her first year. “Thank you for the new science project.”

Theo rolled his eyes at her talking about such things, ignoring it as always. “Who knows. It might come in useful.” He shared a look with Blaise and Janus that she didn’t feel like questioning at the moment.

Blaise had got Draco a sketchbook made to look like a textbook, Theo a vial of Felix Felicis.

Lena smiled at the two boys, taking a present in hand and looking up at Janus. “Yours now Carr-mel.” Chuckling softly when the boy wrinkled his nose at her, she opened the wrapping to find a heavy cloak that felt like it was made from the softest material on earth. “Oh, it's _ lovely_.”

“Look on the inside.” The boy leaned on the back of her chair and reached forward to flip it over. “It’s your rune sequence, exactly matching my cloak.”

Smiling up at him, she chuckled softly. “Is this your way of telling me that you think I need to be scarier?”

“No, but I never took runes as advanced as you did, so I didn’t have anything else to do.”

“It'll keep me warm. In fact, I might just never take it off.” She looked up at him. “I’ll treat it well, because as you know-”

““You take care of what’s yours.”” Blaise and Janus both deadpanned the saying at the same time, giving each other dead stares that had the others snickering to each other, Marcus’ guffawing laugh echoing around them.

Lena just smiled, patting Janus’ arm. “Don’t forget it anytime soon.”

Draco snorted, moving to open Daphne’s gift of cologne and a gift with another cloak, giving her a pained look before thanking the woman who had gifted it to him with a hollow smile.

Shaking her head slightly, she picked up a long package from the Quidditch team shaped like a broom, eyeing the smirking boys with a raised eyebrow. “Hmmm… I wonder what it could be…” Opening it, she blinked at the fancy stylized broom. “This is the one Charles has. The fastest broom in the world, if I remember correctly?”

“You should try out for seeker, as Draco’s moving to Chaser because his frame’s too big for-” Marcus twitched under her suddenly poisonous glare. “I swear I’m not making fun of you. I think that with your quick eyes and- well- you’d be a great Seeker!”

“I’ll think about it.” She eyed the broom before glancing at where Snape was frowning. “I’m flying back to the house.”

The man glowered at her. “You are _ not_.”

Rolling her eyes, she put the present aside and watched Draco get more meaningless gifts from the men and women standing around watching them.

_ She felt like a circus act. _

Looking to Blaise, she slowly opened his present to find a black metal crown with small green gems glittering in the light. Looking at him, she stared at him blankly. “Why?”

“Every Queen needs a crown. And Slytherin’s mascot got one too.” The boy pointed at the paper and she looked down to see a tiny crown.

“I- she is _ not _wearing that.”

Daphne smiled widely. “If she wears it _ and _lets that one Gryffindor take a picture I’ll let you wear jeans for three weekend days~” 

Lena sighed, as the girl was intense about wearing Magical clothing all the time as it was ‘reflective of her status’. “Deal.” Shaking her head, she put the crown on her head and then looked over her raised nose at the group haughtily. “I expect you to do well on your exams… or a public execution in the Great Hall!” 

“You better _not_,” Snape growled.

She frowned. “Fine… Instead, I’ll have the Quidditch team tickle you to death.” Looking at Snape dryly, she raised an eyebrow. “Better?”

“I will not hesitate to poison your garden.”

“I won’t hesitate to brew potions in your lab and give you an aneurysm by trying to create a potion that’ll make your nose not as big.” They stared each other down, the man’s eye twitching at the backhanded insult.

Janus snorted softly. “I have no idea how you two haven’t killed each other… but whatever works, I guess.” He shook his head and then nudged her. “Come on then. Open another present Lena.”

Huffing at Snape, she turned back to pick up Draco’s present which she’d saved for last. Untying the ribbon and opening the box, she looked at a simple gold ring with a black stone in the shape of a diamond (like on the playing cards). Moving to pick it up, she almost dropped it when it came in contact with her skin.

The ring was as warm to the touch, just as the diadem had been.

Looking to Draco with critical eyes, she noticed the boy glance at his father, as if to tell her, ‘_it was his idea._’ Looking under the ring, she found a miniature package and smiled at the boy. “Thanks, Draco. It’s stunning and will make Daphne happy, as I still don’t have enough jewelry to satisfy her.”

Daphne grinned. “You never will.”

Taking her present, Draco opened it, turning the simple silver band over in his hands. “What is…” Putting it on, his eyes widened and he covered it with his hand. “What did you do Lena?”

“No one but the court and you will be able to read it, as you are officially part of our ranks.” She looked to him with a half-smile. “Your title?”

“I… I am going to have to go with the position of _ ‘Exasperated Prince’_, thank you very much.”

The group laughed and she leaned forward in her chair, holding her hand out. “May I?” Slowly the boy put his palm up in her hand, the band resting on the inside of his wrist, reading: ** _You are worth more than empty gifts._ ** Nodding, she patted the boy’s hand and sat back again. “It only says the truth, but if ever you need confirmation, any of the court will be happy to remind you of that.”

Lena could see his masks working to hide the emotions under the surface, Draco ducking his head for a second and she flicked her finger to dry his face so no one would see the tear that slipped down his cheek. 

Looking back up, the boy didn’t smile, but his eyes were gleaming with emotion. “Thank you, Lena. I love it.”

“That’s why I gave it to you, silly boy.” Letting go, she sat back in her seat with a sharp grin, eyes sliding to Lucius Malfoy. “Oh, and if anyone tried to take it from you… it might have some nasty side effects for their health.”

Janus leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Never let it be said you don’t take care of what’s yours… and when something’s yours, that never changes.”

Her grin spread wider. “Exactly.”

_ And as she was Heir of Slytherin, every one of the snakes was hers- her favorites were just invited to stay… closer to her. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Snape & Lena dynamic kills me  
We found the ring! Another Tom! *wiggles like a happy slug* I'm so excited for fourth year!  
So many questions and answers and puzzles to be solved...  



	19. Why Not Take That Bet?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else forgot the Quidditch World Cup was a thing?  
More Snape & Lena fluff and TOM!  
WE GET TO MEET TOM! (again)

Carrying her shrunken presents in a bag that Narcissa had provided (as Snape wouldn’t let her stay the night with the rest of the group for a sleepover), she moved through the house and put away her new items carefully, laying them in places she could get to them easily.

Taking out the tiny shrunken present from Draco, she wandlessly unshrunk it- blinking when she found it was a large garment bag. Inside was a long blue-white dress that almost looked to be made of ice crystals with a low dipping back and a slit up the side. A small note was tucked in the collar. 

_ Lena, _

_ Madame Zabini, Lady Greengrass, and my mother all came together to plot and decided on this dress. _

_ You will need it this year for Hogwarts and it’s lined with extensive charms to fit should you grow or something- though I can’t tell you why you will need it and you shouldn’t show anyone but Severus until the event actually happens. _

_ Draco _

_ P.S. it really emphasizes the title of ‘Ice Queen’, doesn't it? _

Smiling widely, she hung the dress up in her closet and then looked at the last remaining item: the ring. Lena touched it lightly, feeling the warmth through her hand, and wondered how old this Riddle would be.

“What did Draco give you?”

In a moment of panic, she hid the ring in her shirt pocket, turning with a grin and making showy jazz-hands at the dress. “Ta-dah!” She could feel the ring pulse slightly in her pocket but ignored it. “Draco said I’ll need it for next year at Hogwarts for some reason and that Blaise, Draco, and Daphne’s moms all decided that I needed this exact dress.”

Snape rolled his eyes, eyeing the dress, before turning on his heel. “Aren’t we making you a cake?”

She bounded after him with an excited grin as she’d never made her own birthday cake before. “We sure are!”

Laying down to bed, Lena looked to where she’d put the ring on her bedside table and sighed as she reached for it, putting it on.

With the same falling feeling that she’d felt when entering the diadem’s mindscape, she found herself standing at the doors of what looked to be a large dining room made from polished marble, a long mahogany table stretching the expanse of the room with a boy about the age of the Diary sitting at the head staring out the long windows on the right side of the room.

Lena got the impression he hadn’t seen her, so clad in the black leggings and tank top she had been dressed in, she padded to the seat to the boy’s right so she could sit down. Pulling out a seat and ignoring when his eyes snapped to her, she took a seat and crossed her legs. “Hey, Riddle.”

“Who-” The boy’s eyes were bewildered, looking at her as if he didn’t know where to start.

“My name’s Lena. I’ve already met the diary and diadem, though you might not know about the diadem, as he definitely looked older than you.” She smiled slightly, tilting her head. “If I may ask… where are we?”

Riddle blinked slowly. “My father’s Manor.”

She raised an eyebrow. “The same father you killed? Interesting.” Looking out across the room, she studied the opulent house. “Different setting for a murder than I expected… but I guess I can appreciate the aesthetics.”

“You’re… strange.” The boy looked at her with a frown. “What year is it?”

“1994. My fourteenth birthday was just a few days or so ago... What about you?”

Getting a strangely far-away look to his eyes, the boy zoned out for a few minutes and then blinked at her as if coming out of a memory, his eyes curious. “I am-... I was 15. It feels like it’s been an eternity...” Putting his head in his chin, somehow looking elegant as he did so, the boy watched her with gleaming eyes. “So then, tell me about this new world, Lena.”

Her name rolled off his tongue as if he owned it and she swallowed before giving the boy a half-smile. Explaining the world as it was, she then explained about other Riddles and how she’d destroyed them, not to mention Voldemort being a big bag of dicks. Then as the eyes watching her turned dark with murderous intent, she talked about her job at the bakery and now the job at the library until he stopped looking like he was going to punch something. 

“-since Draco Malfoy insisted, I got to have my birthday with him, which is where I acquired your ring and-”

“I didn’t give the ring to Abraxas.” 

Lena blinked at the interruption. “What?”

Riddle frowned. “Abraxas Malfoy. I didn’t give the ring to him. No one was supposed to know where the ring was but-…” The boy seemed to understand something all of a sudden, eyes shining as he leaned back in his chair, seeming more at ease now. “Ah. Never mind. Lapse of memory… So you are a Slytherin?”

“The Queen, in fact.” She raised her hand, wiggling her fingers to show off the Slytherin heirship ring.

“Ah.”

They sat in silence for a long moment before she stood and stretched. “I have work in the morning, so I’ll have to go, but I’ll put the ring on when-”

“Leave it on.” Riddle’s voice was rushed, looking a bit ruffled as he stood, a desperate look in his eyes. “Please. I’ve been alone for so long…”

Reaching over, she took the boy’s hand. “I would, but I have to go to work and get groceries. Though I'll try to talk when I can?”

He gripped onto her hand tighter, tugging lightly as if a kid tugging their friend’s sleeve to get attention. “I won’t pull you into the ring if you allow me access to your mindscape. Then I can see what’s going on around you and maybe even understand this futuristic world. Lena, I was born in the 1920s. Please... help me understand?”

“...Alright.” She knew it was a bit manipulative and that she wasn’t to trust him fully, but she’d let him into the very outer parts of her mind so he could see the world. Pulling her hand away, she nodded and left the darkened marble dining room, waking to her own body.

Focusing on her own outer mind shields, she lowered them, feeling something like a dark mist slip inside.

_ “Hello, Lena.” _

The smoke seemed to want in further, hitting a barrier and she gave a soft snort, voice a whisper in the darkness. “Sorry, Riddle. You can have a share of my basic senses and speak to me… but I’m not as stupid to trust another with my mind, much less a spirit I’ve seen possess people.”

_ “...I guess that is fair.” _

“I have to sleep. Goodnight.”

A soft sigh._ “Goodnight, Lena.” _

Her wand vibrated on her bedside table, the soft sound enough to wake her and she yawned as she sat up and slid out of the bed. Moving to the closet, she pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, slipping her leggings off.

_ “Oh- that- good morning?” _

Remembering the boy was probably really old fashioned, she huffed amusedly but turned away so she could continue dressing. When she was done she grabbed her backpack and made for the door to her room, stilling when she smelled something burning.

“Severus! Sev-” Running into the kitchen to find the man scowling at a pan of burnt eggs, she sighed. “I told you to stay away from my kitchen! What were you even _ doing_?”

Snape moved from the pan, watching her scrape the burnt eggs in the trash with a deep frown. “I wanted to make you breakfast. For your birthday.”

“Sweet, but the rules still hold- no going in the kitchen without me. You’re terrible at cooking without magic.” Sighing, she poured the rest of the eggs in the pan, adding some cheese and finely chopped ham so she could quickly make an omelet. Moving the finished product to a plate, she handed it to him. “Here. I have to go, I have work, but I’ll get groceries on the way home.” 

Turning off the stove, she moved out the door, practically running to the bus station.

_ “Your father?” _

Lena shook her head, thinking her response back to Riddle clearly. _ Severus Snape is the Potions Professor at Hogwarts and my godfather. Just recently a family came barging into my life, claiming me their long-lost daughter, so to avoid them, I'm staying with Severus. _

_ “Why avoid them?” _

_ Because that family... is the holier-than-thou Potter family. _

A pause, the bus pulling up and she got on, finding a seat in the corner of the front. 

_ “You are the other Potter child? The sister of the one that defeated the other part of me?” _

Lena grimaced just slightly. _ Apparently, yes. _

Getting to work without much talk from the voice in her head other than to ask about things he probably didn’t understand, she then continued on most of her shift without the boy’s mental interruptions.

However, when she was a few hours from closing, he seemed to have gotten over his mood.

_ “How then are you sure that you are not the one that defeated my other self, rather than the other child? Because as you told me yourself, the other Potter seems a bit too normal to have defeated me.” _

She raised an eyebrow, even knowing he couldn't see her. _ You’re just upset a child defeated you. Don’t try to put this on me. _

Riddle huffed. _ “Yes, fine- but you seem a fair bit stronger and more magically powerful… So? How do you know?” _

“I don’t.” Saying it out loud just made that thought so much worse and the boy seemed to understand that, keeping quiet the rest of the day.

A huff of complete frustration.

“This is ridiculous. You’re cheating.” Snape frowned at her deeply, but the effect was both ruined by the fact that he had his hair braided with a blanket draped around his shoulders and the fact he was sitting on the ground cross-legged, frowning at the plastic game board.

Lena took a long sip of the hot chocolate that was warming her hands- as they were outside in the grassy backyard on a picnic blanket, the faint light of the house illuminating their game. “Get over yourself. It’s a game of ‘Guess Who’.”

_ “But you are cheating... aren’t you?” _

_ Yeah. He keeps picking either one of five guys or one of the dark-haired women. I just watch where his eyes drift to and then guess loosely based around that… It seems he has a type. _

_ “Figures. You’re such a Slytherin.” _Riddle sounded almost proud of her.

Her smile was wider than normal, something warm in her chest other than the hot chocolate, but she ignored it for the sake of teasing Snape. “It’s not like it’s poker with Sirius Black’s head on the line.”

The potions master’s lip quirked up, but it was gone in a second, back to scowling at his game board. “Oh, I’d _ more _ than happy to lose _ that _game.”

“I know.” She watched him struggle for a long moment, hiding a smile around the edge of her mug.

With a growl of irritation, the man flipped all the tiny tabs closed and stood, blanket like a cape. “I give up. It’s time for bed.”

Lena raised an eyebrow at the man, putting the game away and standing with her blanket, mug, and board game in hand. “Is it really?...” Her voice was musing as she walked past him. “And here I was under the implications you were nocturnal. Good job on setting a limit for yourself.”

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re really fourteen, or if you’re just some demon in disguise here to torture me.” The man grumbled as he took off his blanket and then snagged the one around her shoulders as she walked past, folding them as she put the board game under the coffee table in a basket and set her mug in the sink. 

_ “I have my money on the demon idea.” _

“Oh, I’m definitely a demon- just a fourteen-year-old one.” Her grin was toothy as she started up the stairs to the bathroom they shared across the hall from both rooms. “And isn’t that worse?”

Snape muttered something inaudible, leaning against the wall as she started to brush her teeth in front of the sink. After a pause, he tilted his head just slightly as if he’d picked up her unconscious mannerisms. “You really don’t like the idea of the Potters, do you? Why?”

Shrugging, she spit out the foamy toothpaste, rinsing her mouth out and moving to sit on the closed lid of the toilet as the older man stepped forward to brush his teeth. “I don’t like the idea of being made into something I’m not. I’m not a hero or really even a good person and the only reason I would be is if it was in my interest to be. I’ve lived for so long living by adapting and changing based on what situation I’m put in so that I can survive… and I’m never going to fit into the mold that they want of a perfect little girl that they can wipe clean and start over with.” She looked down at her hands, sighing softly. “I’ve seen too much of the cruelty life brings to ever go back to being that girl.”

A hand settled on her head and she looked up to where Snape’s eyes were unusually fond, even as he had a bit of toothpaste goop on his chin. “I will never try to tell you who you need to be.” He smirked slightly, he turned back to the sink, filling a cup of water to rinse his mouth out. “I would be insane to do that, as I probably wouldn’t wake up the next morning.”

“No, you’d wake up. I would poison your coffee. You probably wouldn’t even taste it, with the sludge you drink.”

“Go to bed, demon.”

Rolling her eyes, she moved to the hall, getting to her room and then pausing in the doorway. “Goodnight.”

The sound of water running shut off. “Night.”

_ “You’re fond of him.” _

Getting her stuff ready for work in the morning, she flicked her wand (that only sometimes worked) to set the timer for the morning, setting a second on the actual alarm clock just in case her wand was determined to be stubborn.

She curled up under the covers. _He'___s_ like me. A bit lonely, misunderstood, and tired. As such… we get along because we're made from the same general cloth. _

_ “I see.” _ Riddle gave a soft huffing laugh at the way her eyes were already slipping closed. _ “Go to bed, dear.” _

Humming softly in response, she closed her eyes. _ Goodnight, Tom. _

_ “Sweet dreams, Lena.” _

“Lena…” Snape’s tone of voice was hesitant, telling her something was wrong. She looked up from where she was laying on her bed reading to find the man standing in her doorway. “I know you’ve been keeping up with the other Slytherins, but have they told you about the newspapers?”

Sitting up and putting her book to the side, she carefully took hold of the wizarding newspaper he handed her, blinking at where the title was staring back at her. 

**“Lost Potter Found! Is Helena Potter the _real_ Chosen One?”**

On the front page was a picture of her in Hogwarts robes wearing a slight smile, though her eyes were smiling more than her face. 

Reading through the article that was all about her time at Hogwarts so far, her friendship with Albus Dumbledore, a few mentions from anonymous sources about her time at the orphanage, her heirship to Slytherin, and speculation about her being the ‘Chosen One’ instead of Charles Potter.

_ Told you. _

Scowling, she clenched her hands on the paper, letting it burn to ashes in her hands. “How _dare _they? I had a peaceful life! I had everything and I gave them everything too!” Standing, she paced her room. “When I find out who told-”

“You didn’t exactly hide it with your two confrontations in the Great Hall.” Snape watched her with a blank face. “As for the other stuff-”

“I know you’re a Death Eater. I saw your arm when you were having that nightmare last year.”

They stared at each other.

Snape shook his head. “That wasn’t what I was going to say, but yes, I am- well- _ was_... However, I was going to say that not only have both the Malfoys and Potters both came out and said they would be taking you to the Quidditch World Cup. I had gotten you tickets in the… less _ fancy _part of the stadium for your birthday, but I understand if you chose to go with Draco instead.”

“I’ll write Draco then.” She moved to the door, pausing by his side to smirk at the man. “If they want to take me because I’m hot news, then they can take both of us and we’ll sell the tickets you got for double the money.”

The man’s startled laugh followed her down the hall.

_ “You really are a Slytherin.” _

_ You say that like you're surprised. _

Narcissa Malfoy greeted Severus with a kiss to each cheek, before turning to her with a soft smile. “Miss Farland. I’m so glad you and Severus can go with Lucius and Draco.”

“It’s Lena, please. Miss Farland was the woman Jack showed me pictures of older than myself.” Holding out her hand, she smiled when the woman took it.

“Narcissa or Aunt Cissy would work then,” the woman beamed, “as we’re technically related by blood. Second or third cousins, in fact, I think.”

Lena looked to where Draco strolled in, sending him a toothy grin. “Remind me not to marry you then, Draco.” When the boy gaped at her, she chuckled. “Apparently we’re something of cousins though byproduct of my sperm or egg donor.”

The boy raised an eyebrow, huffing softly. “You’re like my younger, scarier sister.”

“I like the addition of scary. I’ll take it.” 

Snape snorted softly from behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking to the elder Malfoy. “Lucius… shall we?”

The platinum blonde (that was honestly how she imagined Thranduil looking in The Hobbit) was staring at her ring in horror. Not at the Slytherin heirship ring, but the golden ring that was sitting on her left ring finger.

_ “A sign of marriage… are you proposing, Lena?"_

_ Quiet, you. _

Clasping her hands behind her back to slip the ring off and instead slide it on her left middle finger, she tilted her head at the blonde man. “A problem, Mr. Malfoy?”

_ “He is scared of me, as he very well should be. I remember putting a fairly harmful curse on this ring and he must have felt it when he got close… but I suspect your heirship ring brushed it aside as if it was nothing.” _

_ Now you tell me? _

_ “Apologies.” _

Riddle didn’t sound all that apologetic.

Lucius Malfoy seemed to shake out of his haze, nodding stiffly. “The tent is already set up, but the portkey will only take us to the edge of the field.” He held out a thin book. “It works on password.” His voice was slightly patronizing as he looked at her.

She let her lip curled up slightly in a wordless snarl as she grabbed hold. “I’ve portkeyed a few times before- not to worry.”

“I hate portkeys.” Draco smiled at her, grabbing hold. “Though I’m excited to see the others. I hear that Blaise even knows Victor Krum from Bulgaria! He’s the Seeker and I hear he’s _amazing_! Not even out of Durmstrang yet and he’s flying professionally!”

Glancing to the boy’s bracelet, she smiled, pointing at where ** _‘He will like you. And if he is rude to you, Lena will hurt him’ _ ** was scrawled in her writing. ** **

The boy shook his head, voice a mutter. “So _violent_.”

“It’s a talent.” She grinned at Snape, who huffed- Before the feeling of being compressed, put in a blender, and then flattened by a steamroller took them over and left them standing on the edge of a sea of tents. 

Blinking a few times to clear the spots of her vision, she looked to where Snape was scowling- probably at the noise. “I thought you wanted to come?”

Snape looked down his hooked nose at her. “I never said that. I only said I had gotten you tickets. You would have needed a chaperone after all.”

“Yeah. Right… Because I’m _so _irresponsible. Maybe you should think about who cooks your meals.” Rolling her eyes, she took Draco’s arm and started to walk away. “Come on Dray. Let’s go find some trouble.”

The boy snickered. “You _ are _trouble.”

“Fair point.” She then gave the boy a grin. “Then how about we _ make _some trouble?”

Lena had found three underground gambling rings and been kicked out of two of them before Draco dragged her to a large black tent, the inside like a whole house with stairs to what looked like a second floor. 

Madame Zabini greeted them with a grin, seeming to slip out from the shadows themselves. “Ah, Lena, Draco... how nice to see you. Theodore and Blaise should be in the sitting room playing chess.”

“Thanks, Safrina.” She smiled at the woman, letting Draco guide her away.

“How are you on a first-name basis with our moms?” The blond scowled. “If I called her that she would have skinned me and fed her to her lion.”

Lena smirked. _ Note to Self: Get Madame Zabini to let me feed someone to her lion. _

_ “How are you and Dumbledore friends again?” _

_ We ice skated together and the rest was history. _

"Lena?"

Blinking at where Theo and Blaise were staring at her, she tilted her head. “Hello.”

“You okay?” Blaise put his hand to her forehead as if checking her temperature. “You spaced out there for a second.”

_ Note to Self: Ignore the voice in your head. _

_ “I resent that.” _

_ I might just take the ring off until the actual game. _

_ “...If you have to.” _

Lena smiled at the two boys, moving to twist the gold ring off her finger, slipping it into her sports bra so it was warm against the skin of her chest in a reminder it was safe. “I’m perfectly healthy, not to worry. Just lost my train of thought for a moment debating if Madame Zucchini would let me feed someone to her lion.”

“It would give Leo indigestion,” Blaise smirked and moved to lay across an armchair, “so I doubt it.”

“You named your lion ‘Leo’?” Lena snorted, sitting down in an armchair. “I feel as if that shouldn’t offend me, but it does.”

The boy just shrugged, looking to Draco with a smirk. “How’s your prediction of the match?” Then the Italian boy winked to her when Theo and Draco set about to half explaining, half arguing about what they thought would happen.

After having to deal with three years listening to her friends talk about the sport and going to every game to support her team, Lena knew a fair bit about Quidditch, so she wasn’t opposed to it. However the people… 

Apparently Lupin and Black had come with Charles Potter and also gotten tickets to the top booth, the two men eyeing their group (and her) but they paid more attention to the game when it started than anything so she was (reluctantly) fine with it.

Though her favorite part had to be when the Veela came out and turned everyone but her group, the Bulgarian Minister, and her to blubbering messes. Turning to the Minister, who was behind her, she put a translation charm on herself and smiled good-naturedly. “I assume it must be amusing to go to different countries and make them act like fools.”

The man spoke in Bulgarian, even as her charm translated it to English with a thick Slavic accent. “Even this minister drools. Pathetic.”

_ “He’s not wrong.” _Riddle sounded smug.

“Oh, most definitely.” She grinned slightly, checking to make sure the British Minister was still unaware of her, before leaning back slightly. “Even though I knew he was incompetent, I thought that he would be able to use a simple Auror’s charm to translate foreign languages.”

“Or you are just smart, as you surround yourself with strong wizards and witches...” A hand was extended to her. “Minister Oblansk.”

Taking the hand, she smirked. “Lena Farland. A pleasure to meet you… Though I might as well be saying ‘I’m sorry’, as I have been told by my... analysts that you’re in this game to lose, even with Krum.”

The hand around hers tightened slightly, the Minister grinning. “Oh? And what do you bet on this?”

“How about the silver ring I’m wearing?”

Draco and Theo looked at her as if she was insane, but she ignored them.

_ “You _ _are _ _insane. I’m calling it now.” _

_ It takes one to know one. _

Oblansk grinned wider as he looked at where the Slytherin Heirship sat on her finger. “Then I will offer much the same. Should you win, I will offer you the ring of my family… and have you meet my team.”

“Deal.” Shaking hands, she turned back to where all of her party was watching her- half in horror and half in amusement. She just pointed to Draco’s bracelet. 

** _You are trusted greatly and all your long-winded rants are listened to._ **

This didn’t seem to reassure Draco nor Theo, who both looked at her with wide eyes, Draco’s voice a hissed whisper. “You just made a deal with the man whose family basically controls Bulgaria! He’s practically a dictator!”

“I’ve met more intimidating.” She mused under her breath, thinking of the older Riddle’s crimson eyes that seemed to stare into her soul. Sitting back in her chair and crossing a leg over the other, she sent the boys a look. “But I do hope you’re right.”

_ "Why did you do that?" _

_ I was bored. And don't you dare tell me you wouldn't have done something equally as ridiculous if you were in my place. _

_ "...still, the Slytherin Heirship?" _

_ I trust Draco and Theodore. They haven't been wrong yet. _

Thirty minutes into the game when Ireland was winning 130 to 10, she just smirked as the boys lost their collective minds cheering and whooping for Ireland- even if Blaise and Theo had originally supported Bulgaria.

When the game had ended with just a 10 point win for Ireland, even with Victor Krum having caught the snitch, she turned back to Minister Oblansk. “A good game.”

“Ve fought bravely." His voice was in English with both the translation and without, Fudge sputtering angrily at the man he’d been trying to talk to this whole time. The Minister took off his gold ring with a small rectangular Bulgarian flag on it, holding out his hand.

Lena let him take her hand and slide the ring on her right pinky finger, dipping her head in thanks. 

The Minister smiled. “I owe a meeting with my team?”

Draco looked as if he was going to hyperventilate, the other two boys grinning as well when she nodded. “As my House’s previous Quiddich Captain left, he has suggested I play Seeker this next year, so I would very much like to meet Mr. Krum as his dives look very fun but dangerous. Exactly my type.”

“Nuisance,” Snape growled behind her, Madame Zabini smiling behind her hand.

“Yes! Yes, come come!” The man laughed, putting a hand on the middle of her back, steering her away.

_ “You should cut his hands off for touching you.” _

Lena couldn’t help the slight smile on her lips. _ Now __who is being insane? _

When Riddle responded, he sounded petulant. _ “...I don’t like him.” _

“My friends! I come with guests!” The Minister entered a tent with her at his side but Blaise’s hand was in front of her eyes before she could see anything.

“Blaise?”

The boy sounded as if he wanted to punch something, and by his dark tone, the Bulgarian Minister was first on his list. “If the game just ended and we are in the Bulgarian Changing Rooms...” 

Lena could feel a slight flush rising to her cheeks, scowling when she heard the Minister laughing. “Very funny, Minister, but I will wait outside.” Closing her eyes and letting Blaise turn her around, she smiled gratefully at the boy once outside the tent. “Thanks, Zucchini. I was a bit…”

“Spaced out?” The boy smiled slightly, but it was concerned as he pulled her aside from where Draco was talking the other’s ears off. “Does this have to do with the ring from Draco’s father and the diadem last year?”

“Perhaps.”

_ “I suggest… killing the Minister. Both Ministers, if you want.” _

She rolled her eyes, looking to Blaise with a long-suffering look. “Though this one is apparently a bit homicidal at the moment, he’s usually pretty tame. And I suspect the homicide is because of an issue with authority.”

_ “I _ _ am _ _ the authority.” _

_ You’re just proving my point, dearest. _

Blaise raised an eyebrow but nodded slowly. “I trust you will know if it gets to be… too much.”

“Not to worry. I will.” She patted his shoulder, looking to the Bulgarian Minister when he emerged from the tent with a single raised eyebrow. “Minister. Are your players acceptable for polite society?”

“Yes yes! Go in! Go!” The man waved her into the tent, Draco bounding in after her with stars in his eyes.

Looking at the group of Quidditch players of ages from 17 to mid-30s, she offered up a half-smile and renewed her translation spell. “Hello. I’m Lena. It really was a wonderful game to watch, as I’m sure all my friends will be jealous I got to meet you all!” She sunk back into the mask of the fourteen-year-old girl that she'd perfected overtime at the library with anyone she could practice on.

One of the two females who were coiled with muscles scowled and crossed her arms, speaking in Bulgarian. “What a spoiled little girl, running around and demanding our time from-”

“Nice to meet you, Lena of Slytherin and friend of Bulgaria.” The deep voice of Victor Krum cut over the woman, his sharp eyes glancing at her rings. Standing, he moved to her, still speaking the rough Slavic language. “Do not pay heed to my teammates, as they cannot see past their loss.”

She waved her hand, smiling. “No matter. I know my House’s team gets such a way too when losing, though I find some chocolate helps.” Taking a chocolate bar from her bag, she threw it to the woman, who caught it with a scowl. Winking, Lena grinned toothily. “One of the ingredients in that chocolate bar is the same chemical your brain produces when it’s in love… hence why it helps against both bad moods and dementors.”

The woman blinked, nodding and opening the chocolate bar, the group starting to argue about splitting it and the tent froze when Lena nailed the guy trying to steal the woman’s chocolate in the head with another chocolate bar.

“Stop fighting. I do have more if you refuse to share.”

The Quidditch team broke into laughter at the stunned look on the face of the man she’d hit, and her group was then welcomed easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the Triwizard Tournament will be the least of Lena's worries for the moment... ^-^  
I hope you liked it!


	20. Why Not Use Self-defense?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHH ONE DAY TILL BREAK  
*gulps down copious amounts of caffeine* One. More. Day.

After an entertaining conversation with Krum about the differences between Durmstrang and Hogwarts- _ with the Bulgarian Quidditch Team roping Draco, Madame Zabini, and Blaise into a drinking contest in the background- _ Lena said her goodbyes to the group and the Minister before walking with the Malfoys and Snape back to their tent, as the Zabinis and Theo were not staying the night.

They’d spent a fair amount of time with the Bulgarians, the sky a beautiful dark navy blue with stars unhindered by clouds, the last traces of the golden light from the sun long having seeped from the sky.

“Ah! Lucius!” A man ran over, dressed in long Quidditch robes with thick horizontal stripes of bright yellow and black, an enormous picture of a wasp on his chest. His nose was slightly bent off-center, his short blond hair and rosy complexion making him look like a very overgrown schoolboy. “So good to see you here! ”

The man following the thinner man was a stiff, upright, elderly man, dressed in an impeccably crisp suit and tie. The parting in his short gray hair was almost unnaturally straight, and his narrow toothbrush mustache looked as though he trimmed it using a slide rule, his sneer seeming to be permanently etched into his face. “Lord Malfoy.”

“Ludo. Barty.” The elder Malfoy looked to them with piercing eyes. “What is it?”

Bouncing up and down, the thinner man she suspected was this ‘Ludo’ smiled as if a kid about to get candy. “Did you talk to the Bulgarian Minister? Did he sign? Is it going to happen?”

“Yes.” Lucius glanced at her, before smirking back at Ludo. “Everything is going according to plan gentlemen. The Minister agreed with little to no persuasion- actually Miss Farland here helped me with that part.”

“Miss… ?” The thin man looked to where she was keeping Draco from falling on his face before smiling brightly. “Blimey! You’re Helena Potter! I’m Ludo! Ludo Bagman!”

Narrowing her eyes, she looked from where he’d extended his hand to glare poisonously at the man. “My name is Lena Farland.” She looked to where Lucius was smiling like the cat that had eaten a canary, feeling as if this next year would be very interesting indeed. “We should get back to camp.”

_ “There’s something coming. Something bad, if I have to clarify.” _

_ Thanks, Captain Obvious. _

_ “...Rude.” _

Snape seemed to agree with her, looking to Lucius skeptically and then helping her drag the half-unconscious Draco towards camp. “Agreed.”

Saying a few more words to the men, the tall blonde caught up with them quickly, a smile still on his lips.

Sounds of loud blasts came from the distance, people shouting, but the others seemed to put it off as celebration as they walked further into the midst of tents.

“I don’t think…” Trusting her gut feeling of danger as she eyed where an orange glow was lighting the night, she clutched onto Draco harder. “That doesn’t sound like fireworks… It sounds almost like-”

“Shouts.” Snape looked to Lucius sharply. “Why was there no word?”

The smile was gone from the blonde’s face, his jaw clenched. “It’s unsanctioned.” 

_ “Get out of here, Lena. Get out now!” _

Both men shared dark and unhappy looks and she waved her hand at them. “Go then. I can make sure Draco and I are safe while you two go confront your old war buddies.” At their sharp looks, she raised an eyebrow, no humor or patience left in her tone. “Must I repeat myself?”

“Be safe.” Snape put a hand on her head lightly, him and the elder Malfoy then running into the sea of tents.

Flicking her wand at Draco, she turned him away from her when he started to throw up. Steeling herself against the horrible smell and noise, she instead turned away to look around her, wand in hand. 

“What was tha’ for?” Draco mumbled, spitting at the ground and looking a bit more conscious than before.

“Unsanctioned Death Eaters are attacking the camp and I need to not have dead weight on my hands.” The boy blinked, seeming to sober just a bit at the steel in her tone. “Now, we are going to get you to the tent, and if anyone tries to get in my path…”

Riddle’s voice was more serious than she’d heard before. _ “Lethal curses first. They will not stop to ask questions and if you’re going to fight then neither should you.” _

_ Don't worry love, I wasn't planning on going easy on anyone who tries to harm us. _

“I’m going to need you to follow me closely and I needed you somewhat coherent.” 

Draco nodded, voice solemn. “Got it.”

Taking Janus’ gift out of her small pouch as it would help block some of the lighter curses, she wrapped it around her shoulders before casting a point-me spell to the tent, feeling Draco’s hand clutched in her cloak as he stumbled slightly behind her.

The screams got louder, the people running past them frantically, making it harder to get through the crowd.

Looking back, she stilled.

Draco was gone.

_ “Lena, you have to move! Get out of here!” _

A bolt of light hit her in the chest and sent her flying into the side of a tent, her breath coming out short for a second as she gasped for air, guessing she’d broken a rib (or two) from the impact.

_ “Lena? Lena, you alright?” _

_ Fine, thanks. _

Putting her hands on the cold ground and taking a deep breath, she rose to her feet, noticing that the people had fled this area.

Across the small clearing from her, orange light glinting off a silver mask, a figure stood with a wand leveled at her steadily.

Lena didn’t try to go for her wand where it’d fallen a few feet away, knowing she didn't have the time to get to it before a spell would hit her, not to mention that the dumb thing didn't work half the time anyway. Instead, she pushed out her magic to weave it’s way around the clearing like a web of snakes. Breathing shallowly and bringing up a hand to her side to try to minimize the pain, she glared lightly at the figure in the way a chiding parent would a kid that had drawn on the wall in permanent marker. “That wasn’t very nice.”

“I could care less about being _nice_ to some no-named half-blood…” The deep voice of Theodore’s grandfather drifted across the clearing, the man taking a few steps forward right into the middle of her web. “But one of the two twins of the Prophecy and the one tarnishing the name of Slytherin at that? I think that my Lord would be _pleased_ to know that your blood will be spilled in his name.”

_ “How dare he try to use me for his petty grudges!” _

_ Glad your pride’s the thing of concern here and not the possible internal bleeding I’m starting to suspect I have. _

Ignoring the boy’s muttered comments of apology, she looked at the man walking further into her web. “I think you're mistaken.” She dug her fingers into her side, closing her eyes briefly to try to steel herself. “As this _was_ unsanctioned. I bet you haven't even ever seen your Lord. I bet... you're full of _shit_.”

The man raised his wand, snarling lowly. “Avada-”

Pulling a single string tight with her hand, silence fell as the sharpened magic cut through the man like butter, nothing left but two lumps laying on the ground, blood and other bodily fluid slowly pooling from them.

The night was quiet, the orange fading and she tilted her head back so she didn't have to see the mess she'd made, breathing shallowly from her mouth so she didn't have to smell the stench of death.

_ “Dearest… You did what you could. This isn’t your fault.” _

_ I still killed him. _

Slowly, breath coming out short as tears stung her eyes from the pain, she sat down on the ground with her back to the tent post. Summoning her wand, she held it in her hand loosely and tried not to think about the seeping pool of blood that was slowly oozing from the body.

A soft crunch of footsteps and she had her wand raised in a second.

A man in shabby clothes with a glint to his eyes looked from the bloody body to her, tongue darting out to wet his lip, reminding her of a lizard. “Quite a feat… killing Nott like that.” The tall man moved forward slightly, peering at the body in a sort of sick fascination before grinning at her madly. “He was indeed right in using you in the plans.”

Lena narrowed her eyes into slits, wand level. “Leave now and take your plans with you or I will run out of patience and curse _you_ the same way.”

“See you soon then, Helena…” The man seemed to melt back into shadows, but only after casting a bright light into the air like a rocket.

Watching the light soar through the air and then explode into a large green skull that opened its mouth to let a snake slither out like a long tongue, she threw up a shield as a group of people appeared with a crack, their stunners hitting the shield with flashes of light. She was jolted with the impact, the shield flickering as her back hit the tent wall again and she bit off a whimper at the shooting pain that went through her side.

“HOLD YOUR SPELLS! HOLD- DON'T YOU DARE CAST!”

The spells stopped and she let go of the shield, feeling extremely dizzy as she smiled loosely at where Snape looked like a mess next to a tired-looking Dumbledore. “Hey old man. I didn’t think… I’d see… you here.” She felt the world tilt as she slumped to the side, her shoulder hit the ground and she winced at the impact.

Snape ran to her, falling to his knees with Dumbledore close behind. “Lena! Lena- no- you can't- you're not allowed to leave me!”

Voices were talking, asking questions, but she was losing focus as if drifting away from her body itself.

_ “Let me in.” _

_ Why… would I do that? _

_ “Because I can help.” _

_ You also destroy... and I would be a foolish fly to walk into your parlor willingly. _ Staring up at the night sky, where the green symbol had faded against the clouds, she blinked slowly against her heavy eyelids. _ Goodnight Riddle. _

There was no response, someone yelling something- and she only hissed softly as someone stepped on her hand.

Closing her eyes, everything else forgotten, she lost herself to the void.

Lena woke to bright lights that were most definitely not from anything she knew, as her room was only lit with candles and sometimes natural sunlight, she blinked to adjust to the light. Looked down at where she was propped up on a bed, she went to touch the side of her ribs when she was stopped by binds tying her right wrist to the side of the bed. 

“She’s only just healed! This is _absurd_! You can’t think she honestly cast the Dark Mark!” Snape’s voice was rough, irritation clear in his tone.

“Please, gentlemen, Amelia… if you would just wait a few hours more to let Miss Farland rest for a little while longer…” That was Dumbledore’s placating voice.

But it seemed they were no use, because two figures in red Aurors robes strode in, led by the man- ‘Barty’- that Lucius had been talking to and a woman with a slightly pinched face who was talking to the man quietly. “Surely we can wait for Miss Farland to wake, as she-” The woman blinked at seeing her awake and then smoothed her face into a small smile. “Oh, Miss Farland, you're awake… I’m Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and this is-”

“Barty Crouch. Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.” The man glared at her. “Why did you cast the Dark Mark?”

“We tested her wand and she didn’t cast it, Barty.” The woman looked as if she was going to strangle the man and say it was an accident, rolling her eyes slightly as she looked to Lena before stepping forward. “Can we ask you a few questions? Are you feeling alright?”

Moving her free hand to poke at her side that hurt a bit but was otherwise fine, she shrugged. “Where am I?”

“_We _ will ask the questions, not _ you_!”

Miss Bones ignored the man. “You’re in St. Mungos, the best magical hospital that Britain has.”

Nodding slowly, she studied the room and the two men in the dueling robes, before looking back to the woman and tilting her head slightly. “You have three policemen and I-” she gestured to her other wrist, “-am restrained… am I in trouble for something?”

“The murder of Thaddius Nott and the casting of an extremely illegal spell,” Crouch growled lowly.

“I see.” Lena looked to the woman. “I assume you checked Nott’s own wand for the illegal spell, his robes for any spell energy that might have come from my wand, my wand itself for the illegal or lethal spell, _ and _ found the black tattoo that was on the very man’s left arm?”

The room was still.

She closed her eyes, laying back. “I think you should come back when that’s done. Or don’t. I too would be embarrassed about accusing a fourteen-year-old of killing a man when that same man was not only trying to kill her but was one of the Death Eaters terrorizing the World Cup… imagine the _news…_”

“I told you that it was too early- that we didn’t even have the tests done- but you just wanted to barge right in!” The woman snapped at Crouch. “I will be having words with Fudge about this for sure!” Then with a sharp hand wave to the two Aurors, the three left the room.

“You’re not innocent.” Crouch sneered at her. “I can _ feel _it.”

Lena peered at the man through her lashes, eyes barely slits. “Innocence is subjective, Mr. Crouch… though I bet your sins _ far _outweigh mine.”

Flushing in a rage, the man hurried out.

Closing her eyes once more, she sighed. _ Bothersome idiots. _

But there was only silence in return to her thought.

Blinking, she looked to her hand, and at not seeing the ring- looked to the table where her wand and clothes sat… next to a ring whose black stone had fallen out of the band, the gold casing broken clean in half.

_ Ah. _

_ So then there were two... _

Closing her eyes again, she tried not to think about why that thought bothered her so much and instead tried to go back to sleep.

Though Lena’s doctor was skeptical of releasing her, saying that she should still have a bit to heal, she felt fine and it was already the first day of Hogwarts, so she demanded to be let out and they reluctantly obliged.

Her side was hit by a dark curse that was supposed to break all the ribs in a person’s body so the shards would rupture a bunch of organs and kill the target, but it had somehow been mostly defected (she thought it had to do with her Heirship ring but whatever). Because of this, the doctors had removed the few ribs and bone shards that were broken and made her regrow them but were cautious with using magic on the area if not an emergency because they were suspicious it would ‘reactive the curse’ or something.

She thought they were idiots.

Either way, that led to her whole side, part of her upper arm, and her thigh all on her right side being bruised with sickly purples and yellows and greens (and even a bit of blue in places). 

It was decidedly _not _pretty. 

The medi-witch helping her wrapped a bandage around her torso _(that was apparently useful in some way she didn’t understand)_ and she limped to where Snape was waiting for her with the cane that she’d had the goblins buy for her, made from a wood that would take the form of whatever the caster transfigured it to and stay that way until they changed it. “Shall we go pack? I’m already late if you want to-”

“I already packed your stuff in your trunk.” The man’s eyes looked her over, something dark living in them as he clenched his jaw and looked away. “Albus would rather have you in the safety of Hogwarts as soon as possible.”

Nodding, they walked in silence, her cane echoing on the stone floors as they walked through the crowds. In the lobby, Snape held out a coin. “Grab hold.” Doing so and squeezing her eyes shut, the man said, “Lemon drops” and the portkey activated.

Stumbling slightly on the landing, Snape steadying her, she muttered her thanks and then leaned on her cane heavily. She didn't move towards the castle. “It’s not your fault,” she scowled at her feet, “so stop looking at me like that.”

“I should have stayed with you.” Snape’s voice was pinched. “That should never have happened.”

Lena reached out to take his hand in hers. “You didn’t have to kill the grandfather of a good friend you now have to face… so how about we just be grateful I’m amazing and leave it at that.”

Snape snorted. “Did you really... kill him?”

“Hypothetically? Yeah.” She let her lips quirk up when he gave an exaggerated eye-roll, starting to limp away, knowing he would follow. “I had meant to ask… what did you and Lucius mean by ‘unsanctioned’? The Dark Lord was defeated.”

“The marks would fade then. And they haven’t yet.” His tone was clipped

She decided not to mention that might be because of the other parts of the man’s consciousness drifting around the world in two more objects, instead choosing to frown at the castle they were approaching. “What happened to Theo? I mean… his father is in Azkaban and I-...”

Snape moved to put his hand on her shoulder gently. “He is living under the House of Malfoy as their ward until he turns seventeen.”

“Do-... do you think he’ll hate me? I mean I did-”

“Lena.” Stopping, the man looked at her sternly. “If I’m not allowed to feel bad, then neither are you. It was self-defense and I’m sure that Theodore will understand that.”

Nodding slightly, they continued walking in silence.

Reaching the Great Hall to find the doors already open, a man just about to sit down at the head table, she raised an eyebrow. “Someone stole my grand entrance then. Shame.” Hooking his elbow with hers, she limped up the aisle, nodded to the man when they got to the head of the Slytherin table, and then sat down with a wince.

“Don’t trust Moody,” Snape muttered, giving her a pointed look, then putting his hands in his pockets and stalking to the Head Table.

“May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?” said Dumbledore brightly into the silence. “Professor Mad-Eye Moody.”

The man was scarred on what seemed like every inch of his skin, with a vivid blue glass eye that whirled around separate from his normal brown one, which was fixed on her.

The room broke into whispers.

Lena watched the man take a long swig of his hip flask, deciding that she didn’t trust the man. 

_ Partially because Snape didn't, but still. _

“As I was saying, we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year.”

Again the room’s noise level rose, everyone talking. 

Blaise looked to her, concern in his eyes. “You okay? We didn’t know who you would think best as king, so as of right now it’s just you, but we know you’ve been in St. Mungos for a week or more so...”

“I’ll deal with that later. Not to worry.” She smiled at the boy, patting his hand.

Dumbledore waited for it to quiet a bit before speaking up. “The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities — until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued.”

“Lovely.” Lena chuckled. “Always looking for another death-defying experience…”

She got the faint impression this ‘tournament’ had to do with Malfoy senior's plans but was going to ignore that until it mattered.

“There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament,” Dumbledore continued, “none of which has been very successful. However, our own departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money.”

The Slytherins were already plotting how to bribe and blackmail this ‘impartial judge’, whispering to themselves and she smirked slightly.

“Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts, the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age… that is to say, seventeen years or older will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This-” Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, for several people had made noises of outrage at these words, and the Weasley twins were suddenly looking furious- “is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion.” 

Dumbledore's light blue eyes twinkled as they flickered over Fred’s and George’s mutinous faces. “I, therefore, beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen. 

“The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected.”

The hall clapped, whispering about the tournament.

Lena knew that all the restrictions would only encourage her snakes to try to get around the rules, smiling a bit, though it faltered slightly when Theo caught her eyes.

“I think... we need to talk.”

Nodding slowly, she looked to Snape for a second, and when the man nodded, stood with a wane smile to Theo. “We can go to the Common Room early then.” 

The boy followed a step behind her as she limped out of the Great Hall, not staying anything even as they were both sitting in the empty room with the fire going.

“For what it’s worth… I’m sorry about-” 

“Don’t be.” Theo looked at the fire, face set. “If I’m upset, it’s because I always thought I would be the one to kill that bastard.”

Lena blinked.

The boy’s face was grim as he refused to look at her, a tear sliding down his cheek. “I thought- I hoped that finally, I would get away from that house. I could live and be my own person if he just…” Curling up into a ball, Theodore shook with silent sobs. 

“He hurt you, didn’t he.” Lana's hands clenched, but there was nothing more she could do but help the boy recover, standing from her chair. "Scoot over."

Still sniffling, Theo made room for her in the large char and she curled up beside him. 

"Some days- some days Mr. Malfoy will say my name in the same sharp tone and- and I just hear… I think he's back." His voice was a shaky whisper. "I can't- I won't go back."

Lena pushed aside her usual distaste for contact, reaching out to draw the boy into her arms as much as she could. "You don't have to. Even if your grandfather gets resurrected or your father released… I will fight to the last breath to keep you safe." Tucking his head under her chin as he started to cry again, she closed her eyes, a tear sliding down her own cheek. "You’re my friend Theodore, but you're also part of my court and I promised you that I would take care of you as long as you needed me to. If I had known your Grandfather was hurting you…"

It was a while before the boy calmed enough to speak, voice barely a whisper. "If I told you what would you have done? You were a first-year Lena."

"I would have made sure you were safe. That comes first, above anything else- and you should know better than to underestimate me."

She heard the soft huff that came out of the boy, smiling slightly.

_ It would be alright. _

_ She bet by the end of the year Theo would be able to stand on his own. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My baby- Theodore... My heart hurts.  
And please don't kill me about the ring? It's all for (somewhat) good reasons.  
Hope you enjoyed! <3


	21. Why Not Give Blood To A Near Stranger?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for some feels  
And a bit of Lena insulting someone with Greek Myth ^-^  
(shhh it's okay, I definitely /haven't/ been reading too much for my myth class)

Hestia and Flora led a group of small first-years in, only sparing a glance and smile to her, the rest of Slytherin tromping in until she gave them a deadly glare, and they all sort of sheepishly toned down their noise.

However, the small new snakes were gaping at where she was currently being clung to by a tear-stained Theo who had promptly fallen asleep after sobbing on her. 

Not that she was upset- Theo needed a break from life and he was getting it.

It wasn’t the usual impression she liked to make but she supposed that it would have to do. After Hestia and Flora explained the house rules quietly, she waved the group forward and gave a tired smile, her voice a soft mutter. “Hello. I am Lena Farland, Queen of Slytherin, and the boy you see clinging to me is my Jester.” She scrunched up her nose slightly. “He’s not feeling so funny right now.”

One of the girls in the back giggled, the others looking wildly confused.

“I won’t pretend like on the regular day I won’t be scary and sometimes a bit cold, but this house is not just metaphorical. From now on everyone wearing the badge of Slytherin is family and we all stick together. Me being Queen just means that I oversee everyone’s safety and make sure nothing horrible happens.” She pointed to where two Slytherins were sitting all the way across the Common Room from each other. “Those two? They were dating last year but are now acting as if they hate each other, so after I am released from captivity-” a few other of the kids giggled at this and she smiled, “-I will have to talk to them. In short, I smooth things over- plus it helps that I’m friends with the Headmaster.”

The girl who had giggled earlier smiled mischievously. “So you’re like our mom now?”

“Well…” Lena blinked a few times. “I suppose that’s one way to see it. Mom, sister, cousin, protector- whatever title you want to give me, I am.”

“I always wanted a mom!” The girl beamed and moved to hug her awkwardly, to which she looked to where Flora and Hestia were snickering, mouthing _ ‘help me’ _ and causing the other kids to snicker.

Hestia started over. “Okay, now why don’t we give Lena some room, Theodore has been through quite the experience lately and-”

“And this is Hestia! The other Queen of the House!” The room stilled, Lena grinning at the pure shock on the girl’s face. “Uncrowned, of course, but she’s been on my court for a long while, so she’ll be the other house mom, right?” 

The older girl seemed to flail, before nodding. “Right… Now- um- now let’s see about your rooms...” 

Blaise moved over, whistling lowly at the glare she got back from Hestia. “Looks like she’s pretty mad about that being sprung on her. Same with Puecy- I heard he thought he was a straight shot for King. You know, we’ve never had two Queens before, though we have had two Kings.”

“Maybe that’s why this house is so bent out of shape. Boys are dumb.”

The boy made a move as if wounded. “I am hurt.”

She scoffed. "You're dumb too. Be hurt." Waving him off when Theo shifted slightly, she pulled the lanky boy in her arms closer. 

_ Mom. _

_ Hmm… It was strangely appropriate for her behavior if one ignored her occasional death threat, as she had the sense that child services wouldn’t like a mother threatening to kill her children. _

“I refuse to go back to Divination or Care of Magical Creatures as they’re both useless. You should teach me again. It would be so much-”

Snape waved his hand. “Fine. No Divination and Care. Now either tell me a class you want to take in replacement or get out.”

Lena crossed her arms. “Potions.” 

“As I said before,” he glared at her, “I am not going to teach you or let you touch a cauldron in my sight until you have your mastery.” When she opened her mouth he raised his hand, real anger hiding under his calm veneer. “Don’t make me fight you on this Lena, we’ve been over it a thousand times and I won’t change my mind.”

“Why! This is ridiculous!” She knew her voice was rising to a shout, but that was how this argument always went. “I can’t learn everything from potion texts and cooking your goddamn food every goddamn-” 

The man stood, slamming his fist to his desk. “Don’t you curse at me!”

She ignored her tiny flinch, walking forward to get into his face. “Oh yeah? Why? What’s the real issue here? Your hatred for a father I never knew? Your prejudice against a family I won’t accept? Why do you still deny me the one thing-”

“BECAUSE I REFUSE TO LOSE YOU AGAIN!” 

Lena stilled, watching Snape rub at his face before practically collapsing back in his chair. “You-”

“I refuse to lose the last good thing I have in this world.” Not looking at her, his voice broke just slightly as his hands gripped the side of his chair. “Dumbledore made me teach after- after you were proclaimed dead because I was at risk of drinking myself to death. Here… he could watch over me. Next time, should anything happen to you, I don’t think that even Dumbledore would be able to still my hand.”

She swallowed thickly. “And so potions…”

Snape finally looked up at her, eyes so very tired. “My mother was strong enough to deal with my drunken abusive father… it was an experimental potions accident that killed her, left me alone with the bastard.”

“I-... I’ll wait then.” Her smile was crooked, wavering slightly. “For now I think that Arithmancy will work… give me extra time at the library.”

He snorted softly. “You and that library going to get married anytime soon?”

“The plan is to read every book in there before I graduate, so I don’t have to.” Reaching across the desk, she took his potion-stained hand and sighed softly. “I have no plans to die anytime soon… but then again I do seem to get into trouble, so for what it’s worth- Sorry in advance.”

“Demon.”

Lena grinned. “Fourteen-year-old.”

Snape raised an eyebrow. “Synonymous.”

“Ah, my own logic.” She released his hand and rocked back on her heels with a smirk. “Can’t argue with that. Now, am I free to walk, warden?”

“Be free, demoness.”

Chuckling, she saluted him and went to join the others at lunch. 

Lena was walking hand-in-hand with Theo, the boy quieter than usual lately as he’d been dealing with the prospect of not only being free of his grandfather but being the last of his family (save the father that murdered his mother) when an older Ravenclaw stepped in front of them. “Look who it is! The baby Death Eater has a girlfriend in the Snake bitch!”

Theo flinched slightly and she glared at the boy. “Go away before I lose my temper, idiot.”

“What? Is the_ little girl _ going to try to hex me?” The boy jeered. “It’s a _ blessing _that his old man died! Death Eater scum!”

Snarling, Lena looked to Draco and let go of Theo, stepping in the Ravenclaw’s way when he tried to follow where Theo moved to join Draco in getting away from here. “Where do you think _you’re _going? With that face I wouldn’t be surprised if your mom shagged a bull and had you- in fact, I bet her name’s Pasiphaë!”

“Shut _ up_!” The boy pulled out his wand faster than she could, making her dodge a curse sent her way, wincing through the pain as she did. 

A spell flew past her, hitting the boy and she had to take a deep breath, a hand resting on her shoulder. Mad-Eye Moody looked down at her sternly, his hand feeling nothing but warm where it rested on her shoulder. “Maybe you should be more careful about taunting older students when you’re still injured.”

Looking over to where the boy was suspended in the air by his foot with a rag stuffed in his mouth, she glared. “He was talking badly about one of my Snakes.”

“I see…” The man turned to the boy who looked a bit pale now that he was faced with an adult and an Auror at that. “And do you know how that Death Eater died?” The man barked, his brown eye narrowing when the boy shook his head. “He was cut right through! His head severed right from his shoulders in a cleaner cut than I’ve ever seen any spell do- all his blood drained into the ground in a matter of _ seconds _!”

There was a crowd watching now, some of the students squirming.

“Tell me, since you know so much…” Moody pulled the rag out of the boy's mouth and glared at him. “Do you know who killed one of the darkest and most slippery Death Eaters that even _ I _couldn’t catch?”

“N-no?” 

A gnarled hand pointed to her, the eyes of the hallway turning to stare. “He sent a curse at Miss Farland here that should have killed her in seconds- the second time some think that’s happened… And with two broken ribs and a fully grown Death Eater bearing down on her, she managed to behead him with nothing more lasting than a few bruises.”

Lena sighed, looking away as the students started to whisper. “Professor. I’m over my temper and all my snakes are accounted for so I have no reason to let you make a spectacle out of this.” Flicking her wand, she cast the counter-curse, the boy dropping to the ground with a thud. Giving Moody a frown, she clenched her jaw. “There is no pride in what I have done to survive, as monsters never ask to become what they are.”

Moody’s gaze followed her out of the hallway.

It was reluctantly that she found herself in the scarred Auror's classroom the next day, the school passing the information about her run-in with Nott Sr. through its gossip mill before determining that they were going to whisper like this was second year all over again.

Nodding to Moody as she took a seat, her group settled around her, the rest of the outside Slytherins settling around them.

“Right then,” Moody muttered when the last person had sat down, “I’ve had a letter from Professor Lupin about this year. Seems you’ve had a pretty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures- you’ve covered Boggarts, Red Caps, Hinkypunks, Grindylows, Kappas, and Werewolves… But you’re behind on dealing with curses. So I’ve got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark-”

“What, aren’t you staying?” Ron Weasley blurted out, looking crestfallen. 

Moody’s magical eye spun around to stare at Ron, who looked extremely apprehensive, but after a moment Moody's stare eased and the boy seemed to sag in relief. “You’ll be Arthur Weasley’s son, eh? Yeah, I’m staying for one year. Special favor to Dumbledore. . . . One year, and then back to my quiet retirement.” 

Draco and Daphne traded looks as if they were doubting if Moody’s retirement had _ever _been quiet and she smirked.

“So- straight into it. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I’m supposed to teach you countercurses and leave it at that. I’m not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you’re in the sixth year. You’re not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore’s got a higher opinion of your nerves- he reckons you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you’re up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you’ve never seen? A wizard who’s about to put an illegal curse on you isn’t going to tell you what he’s about to do. He’s not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to _ put that away_, Miss Brown, when I’m talking.” 

Lavender jumped and blushed. She had been showing another girl something under the desk. Apparently, Moody’s magical eye could see through solid wood, as well as out of the back of his head.

“Do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?” 

“The Unforgivables.” She didn’t raise her hand, speaking softly, but the man pointed at her. 

“Exactly, Miss Farland! And can you tell me one of them?”

Lena stared at him blankly.

Blaise answered instead, voice smooth. “Imperio, other known as the Imperius Curse.”

“That is one.” The man moved to a jar where three large black spiders were scuttling around, reaching into the jar and catching one of the spiders. Holding it in the palm of his hand so that they could all see it, he then pointed his wand at it and muttered, “Imperio!” 

Watching as the man made the Gryffindors laugh by making it dance around, all the Slytherins still and quiet, she looked out the window with her voice soft. “What happens when he orders it to kill itself? Will its lack of freedom still amuse you?”

The class stilled, laughter fading at that thought.

Moody made a huffing sound. “You stole the words out of my mouth. However the Imperius Curse can be fought and I’ll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone’s got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!” He barked, and everyone jumped or flinched.

Longbottom offered up the Cruciatus Curse, the class watching in horror as a different spider was subjected to the torture spell.

Theo gripped her hand under the table and she flicked up a barrier around the spider, cutting off the spell. “Enough of that.” 

The man stared at her intently, watching as she got out chocolate for a shaking Theo, before nodding. “Pain,” said Moody softly. “You don’t need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse… That one was very popular once too… Can anyone tell me the third?” 

“Avada Kedavra.”

Several people shifted uncomfortably. 

“Yes, Miss Farland. The last and worst. Avada Kedavra. The Killing Curse.” Moody raised his wand, pointing it at the spider in front of him. “_Avada Kedavra_!”

A flash of green light lit the room.

The classroom was silent.

“Only one known person has ever survived it, and they’re in this castle… though we aren’t sure which one was the child to do such a thing.” Though by the eyes watching her, she bet the man thought it was her. “Avada Kedavra’s a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it, but that doesn’t matter, as I’m not here to teach you how to do it. Now those three curses- Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus- are known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban. That’s what you’re up against. That’s what I’ve got to teach you to fight…"

The students all looked properly shaken up.

"Class dismissed. Farland, stay behind.”

Handing Theo another bar of chocolate and rubbing his back, she let Daphne lead him away, nodding to the others before looking to Moody. “And here I was going to just self-study this year.” She stood and slung her bag over her shoulder. “You’re not a bad teacher if a bit batty.” 

Chuckling, the man came to stand in front of her, eyes intent. “You did wandless magic.”

Lena nodded slowly. “I’ve been doing it since I was six.”

“Is that… what you used to kill Nott?” Moody’s blue eye swiveled around himself, but his brown on fixed on her. “Albus talks highly of you and yet you talk of yourself like just another girl.”

Holding out her hand, she looked at him pointedly. 

The man took her hand, eyebrows furrowed.

His skin was wrinkled and slightly leathery, but the feeling… it was like Riddle but slightly less warm, as if the man was associated with him but not-

_ Oh. _

“Why are you _ really _here?” She pulled her hand back. “What do you need, because if you ask nicely, I might be able to just give it to you. I would rather not deal with Dumbles finding out his friend is an imposter, nor letting anyone get hurt unnecessarily.”

Something in the man’s face seemed to change, darken, the mismatched eyes glinting with the promise of violence. “I was sent to get your blood for a ritual and if you give it to me willingly I might be able to spare you and your friends a painful death from my Lord.”

Lena blinked. “You think Voldemort is…” She rubbed the bridge of her nose, wondering when her life came to dealing with insane Dark Lords. Leaning back against the desk, she wondered if she gave the man the stone she’d been keeping if he’d come back more sane than before... “If I give you a vial of my blood and another object that _ might _help, will you promise to leave peacefully, as you’ve completed your orders?”

“I will.”

Keeping the man in her sight, she reached for her bag, pulling out her pouch that she'd linked to her secret compartment the year before. Raising a privacy barrier, she glanced at the man before looking at the bag. ** _:Give me the stone, as I am the snake guarding immortality.: _ **Watching it glow a soft purple color, she tipped the blood-red stone into her hand and held it out. “This might help.”

Ignoring his stare as he took the stone reverently, she took out an empty vial and flipped open her switchblade, cutting a shallow line across her wrist. Letting the blood drip into the vial steadily, she healed the cut and corked the vial, holding it out.

“A parselmouth with the philosopher's stone…” The man grinned in a way that made him seem even more grizzled than usual. “You are nothing like anyone expected the Chosen One to be…”

“I’m not. The 'Chosen One', that is. Charlie can have that particular title.”

The man chuckled darkly. “Neither of us actually believes that... You _can’t _believe it. Not when my Lord told me to get specifically your blood out of the choice of both Potter children.” It was less of a statement and more a quizzical open-ended question.

Lena looked at him flatly, putting her things away. “Leave. Go to your master and kneel like the dog you are. Just get out of _my_ castle.” Then without another word, she turned and strode out.

Drawing in a shuddering breath, eyes closed still as he’d just been reborn and still felt like his whole being was on fire, he slowly took a deep breath of the chilled night air and opened his eyes to the starry sky.

_ He was reborn. _

“My Lord?” Barty kneeled by the side of the bed of soft fur pelts he found himself in, Narcissa casting diagnostic charms over him.

Eyes sliding to look at the man, he let his lips curl stiffly into a smile. “Bartimus. You have done well…” _ Even he had not imagined that Lena would find out his plans and agree to the ritual anyway. _“Go back- protect the girl.”

Narcissa’s tense body seemed to relax just a bit, even as Barty gaped. “Are- are you sure?”

Growling lowly at the questioning of his motives, he narrowed his eyes on the man. “Lena will be _crucial _to my plans and she will not, in any way, be harmed. Now go back to that damned castle and make sure of that.”

“Yes, Milord.” Dipping his head, Barty stood once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay but now I just have this mental image of some student from a different house seeing a first-year calling Lena 'Mom' and her smiling sweetly in response and their head just exploding, because isn't that a contradiction to everything they know?  
Lena 'Chocolate Queen Mom' Farland... we stan a legend  
Also, VOLDY'S BACK!


	22. Why Not Have All Hell Break Loose?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM FREE FOR A WEEK- NO SCHOOL!!! AHHHHHH I GET TO SLEEEEEP

Moody left.

Dumbledore was actually the one who ended up teaching them about defensive spells, which she found quite enjoyable, but it was to her poisonous glare that Moody re-appeared only a week later. 

Limping into the classroom, the man announced he’d be putting them under the Imperius curse, as Dumbledore wanted them to know what it felt like.

“Why are _ you _ here?” Her scowl dominated her face, eyes narrowed. “I thought you got orders that took you _ out of the castle _?”

“Orders changed.” The man grinned toothily at her, even if it made him look unsettlingly manic. “Dumbledore wants me here more than anyone else needs me at the moment, _ especially _with this tournament coming up.” The grin got a bit meaner. “Never know when Dark Wizards will tamper with that.”

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she clenched her jaw and looked away. “Whatever.”

Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them as if nothing had happened.

Lena watched as, one by one, the Gryffindors made fools of themselves under its influence. One boy decided to try to sing an opera while badly imitating a ballet, another honking like a goose while tap dancing, and a few doing gymnastics she knew they’d never be able to do on their own. 

Not one of the Gryffindors could resist.

Theo could resist for a good three minutes, Blaise for two, and Daphne for thirty seconds, but it was better than nothing. (Draco was pouting in the back at not being able to resist the curse.)

“Farland,” Moody growled, “you next.” She moved forward into the middle of the classroom that Moody had cleared of desks and he pointed his wand at her. “_Imperio_!” 

Lena felt the weight fall off her shoulders, the pain in her side receding, the grim thoughts and worries in her head seeming to blur. 

She felt _light. _

She felt... _ happy. _

_ “Dance.” _

_ Happy… wasn’t right. _

_ She- she hadn’t been truly happy or carefree since that night, the table on its side and Jack- _

_ “Dance!” _

Shaking her head to clear of the strange feeling, she smiled grimly at the man. “_That _was a hit of serotonin to the brain. I don’t think it's all that healthy though, so I’m going to have to pass.” Booting the happy feeling out of her brain, shoulders tensing as the weight that came back to her, she turned and walked back to her seat.

“Farland. Tell me, how is it you think you threw off the Imperius so fast?”

She pointed to Draco, who sighed and monotoned one of her usual responses. “She blames her childhood, sir.”

“Or the orphanage,” Blaise smirked at her. “Which one is it today?”

Shrugging, she leaned back in her chair. “I guess if I wanted to change things up I could blame all the winter nights sleeping in the cellar. I swear that woman took the insulation off the cellar door just so I’d be colder because she’s an evil hag like that...” 

Daphne smiled politely at where Moody was gaping slightly. “It’s probably like the dementors. Since it’s mood-based, it won’t affect her as much.” The girl grinned. “Lena doesn’t have emotions most days or she likes to pretend she doesn’t- I can’t tell.” 

_ That or she knew she wasn't supposed to be happy. _

_ It wasn't right- not after what had happened with Jack. _

“I... will keep that in mind.” Moody looked at her strangely and started to talk about the dangers of the Imperius. 

Lena was floating in the pool of water in the Chamber of Secrets when a Patronus found her, a large phoenix coming to sit on the ground before the edge, Dumbledore's voice emanating from its silvery shape. “My dear, if you would like to come to dinner, I believe that some Bulgarians are looking for you.”

Swearing, as she’d forgotten the time, she looked to the Patronus. “Tell the Headmaster that I’ll be up as soon as I can and that he owes Delphi a cow for making me leave her early… Preferably alive.”

The glowing bird flying off, she swam over to the side and pulled herself out. ** _:Delphi, sweetie, I have to go.:_ **

** _:Come back soon heiress…: _ ** The basilisk’s head emerged from around the corner of a pipe, eyes watching her. ** _:Are you going to put your second skin back on?:_ **

Nodding, she wrung her hair out with a spell to get the water from her hair, drying herself off hastily. ** _:Yes, clothes are sort of a requirement in polite society.:_ **

** _:Humans are strange.: _ **With one last glance, the snake ducked back into the pipe.

Rolling her eyes, Lena threw her clothes back on, slipping her shoes on to run towards the passage to the main hall. Smiling sheepishly as she entered the Great Hall, she saw that a group of boys in heavy fur coats had taken up seats at Slytherin, looking to Dumbledore. “Sorry, I’m late.”

“And what were you doing this time, my dear?”

Letting a shadow of a smile slip through her impassive mask, she started towards the Head of the Slytherin table. “Swimming.” She winked at the Headmaster. “I have my own private lake if you would believe it. It’s filled with rainbow catfish and even has magical lily pads.”

With a chuckle, the man’s eyes twinkled brightly. “I wouldn’t put it past you.”

“Lena!” A broad figure stood, pulling her into a tight hug. “I almost doubt it when they tell me you and friends would be here!”

“Oh, hey Viktor. I didn’t know you were coming to this.” She looked to the head of the Slytherin table, waving her hand as she pulled away. “Come come, sit by me. Your friends are welcome also.” 

As soon as the Durmstrang students stood, the Slytherins scooted down, leaving room at the end of the table. She sat down, casting her translation charm on herself and the court before starting to make a plate of food. “What did I miss?”

One of the boys further down looked at her, speaking in Bulgarian. “I know I have missed every day not seeing those green eyes, not to mention-”

Blaise scowled slightly as he interrupted the other boy loudly, “You missed the Goblet of Fire." He nodded to where a large golden chalice the size of a bird feeder was sitting to the side of the dais. "It’s the impartial judge and apparently it picks the most magically suited to complete the tasks set before them. No to mention its _ancient_. Theo was telling us about some of the past competitions and it sounds like this game is pretty gruesome.”

“Our History Professor was telling us about it.” The boy next to Krum nodded, starting to talk about the Goblet of Fire and it’s horribly bloody background in a dry yet humorous way that made her and the others chuckle.

The Durmstrang boys got on surprisingly well with the Slytherins, so she'd invited them back to the Common Room, though a few were warned off patronizing the girls when Hestia hexed a boy purple after he had been flirting with her for a little too long.

Lena ended up holding a mini-seminar for the Slytherins on the translation charm, how it worked with the different aspects of the brain, and helped everyone cast it who wanted to learn.

By the time the fire was starting to dim and the boys were probably supposed to head to their ship, the Durmstrang crew had been indoctrinated into the unofficial Slytherin Book Club, the snakes sharing copies of all the more favorite books the house had made an updating list of.

Karkaroff, the Headmaster, glared at her as she finished reading one of the Dr. Suess books that had become favorites to read to the younger students- as the books were engaging and most of the time had a wholesome ending.

Wishing goodnight to the group, she made a mental note to talk to Dumbledore about asking the castle's latent magic to accommodate the Durmstrang and Beubaxtons students in whatever house they wished, as rowing across the lake every night might be a bit tiresome.

Settling down in her armchair, she let Theo tuck himself into her personal space while being careful of the slowly healing bruises, hiding his face in her neck. Blaise sat on the soft rug at the fire, leaning back against her legs, and soon both boys were fast asleep.

Draco and Daphne laughed softly, rolling their eyes, the girl mouthing the words _ 'guard dogs' _ at her with a smirk.

“Lena?” 

Looking up from her book on Ancient Sumerian Runes, she smiled questioningly at where Cedric Diggory was standing by the table to the side of the great hall where she was studying and sometimes watching the older kids enter their names into the Goblet of Fire. "Cedric. Sit, please. What can I do for you?"

The boy glanced to where her friends were trying to convince Hestia to enter, sitting across from her nervously. “I… I don’t know if I should- well my dad was talking about the tournament and-...” He cut himself off, before shaking his head and starting to stand. "Nevermind, It's not-"

"Hey." She caught the corner of his sleeve, eyeing him. "Sit. 

He did so, looking reluctant.

“Cedric, to be completely honest I would rather _not _have one of my house in this tournament because I know the risks and the many bloody deaths that have happened before because of it. Hell, even if I could put my name in I _ wouldn't… _ but I want you to think about this for me: do _ you _ want to enter your name, or does the voice in your head that sound like your _ dad _ want you to do it?"

"I- I guess... my dad?"

She smiled. "Think about it a bit more then. Know that you don't have to do anything you don't want to- as are the perks of living in a boarding school almost nine hours from your parents. And if you do want to put your name in, I'll happily cheer you on."

Their attention was taken away from their conversation as mass chaos broke out when the Weasley Twins tried to cross the age line, getting thrown back out. She laughed behind her hand at the new look- both of them sporting massive white beards.

Cedric looked back to her, smiling slightly, and there was determination in his eyes. "I'm going to do it. But if I have trouble with something… can I come to you?"

"Always. The Slytherin Common Room is always open to friends. You just have to state your name."

Taking her hand for a moment, he smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Lena." Then he moved to where a group was waiting with wide smiles, the boy taking out a slip of parchment. The Hufflepuffs went wild, encouraging Cedric in putting his name into the Goblet and she shook her head slightly.

_ She was getting ridiculously soft- _ _ Whatever happened to not getting attached to other houses? _

"It's not inevitable." 

Lena started just slightly, eyeing the girl with the long blonde hair that had seemed to appear next to where she was sitting with suspicion, the girl's eyes slightly unfocused. Glancing briefly over the girl that looked a bit younger than her, she frowned at seeing the girl was barefoot but didn't mention it. "What isn't inevitable?"

Focusing just enough to smile her way, the girl blinked slowly. "The future." 

_ As if that explained everything. _

"He might not survive… you might not either. But it's not inevitable." The smile on the girl's face wavered just a bit. "One will split the fated and the other will reset the cycle of madness, but the last option… will surely be a miracle. Good luck."

Watching the girl glide away as if dancing, she blinked slowly. 

_ Did she just… meet a seer? _

With dinner cleared away from the tables, the Goblet was levitated to the middle of the room where a small clearing was made, the Durmstrang students getting up from where they were intermixed with the Slytherins to sit on a set of wooden bleachers to the side of the cleared space as a group, just as the Beauxbatons students sat on the other side of the hall also on bleachers.

In came three Ministry officials- the two men that had been at the World Cup, Bagman and Crouch, along with Janus who gave her a wink as he strolled by. 

“Janus got promoted, huh?” Theo smiled slightly.

Blaise nodded. “Under Secretary to Mr. Crouch. He’s really doing well in the Ministry, along with Gemma.”

Lena smiled brightly to Janus when he took his seat, making the boy seem to relax just a bit and she resolved to get him some chocolate along with a few compliments about how well he was doing.

“Well then students… the Goblet is almost ready to make its decision,” Dumbledore stood with a smile, the hall quieting. “I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions’ names are called, I would ask them to please come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber” -he indicated the door behind the staff table- “where they will be receiving their first instructions.” 

As if on cue, the candles lighting the hall seemed to dim dramatically.

The Goblet of Fire’s bright, blue-white flames seemed to be the brightest thing in the hall now, casting almost an eerie blue light to the stone as if everything was underwater and she took Theo’s hand, nerves telling her that something big was about to happen- whether for good or bad.

“Any second,” Hestia whispered, seeming excited.

The flames inside the goblet turned a scarlet color all of a sudden, a tendril of fire shooting into the air, and a piece of slightly burnt parchment drifted through the air. 

The whole room gasped. 

Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm’s length so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white. “The champion for Durmstrang will be Viktor Krum!”

The Slytherins and Durmstrang students burst into noise, the other houses and the French students clapping along politely (except for a few more avid Quidditch fans).

Karkaroff congratulated the boy loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. She scoffed as the others around her rolled their eyes- no one liked the Headmaster- but nothing more was said as the noise died down.

Seconds later, the Goblet turned red once more- a second piece of parchment shooting out.

“The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!”

Blaise pointed out the girl subtly, leaning into the group with his voice quiet. “Part Veela, that one. I’ve seen far too many falling at her feet just in the last day alone.” He hummed slightly, studying the girl. “Must be kind of lonely, don’t you think?”

“Starting to grow actual emotions, Zucchini?” She smirked at the boy who scoffed and just looked back to where another piece of parchment was caught by Dumbledore.

The Headmaster smiled kindly at the waiting crowd. “And the Hogwarts champion… is Cedric Diggory!”

Clapping and sending a smile to where the boy rose with an unsure look on his face as if he didn’t really expect to get in, she watched him meet her eyes and smile back, seeming to find his footing as he put on a show of waving and striding towards the back of the hall.

The Hufflepuffs were going _insane_, as it seemed that these last few years they’d been winning more Quidditch games, House Cups, and other things of notice than ever before and this was just another ticket in making their house known as something other than the house of _‘lazy and soft people’_.

She was happy for them, even if Snape always grumbled about losing the House Cup.

“Excellent!” Dumbledore called happily as at last, the loud screeching died down. “Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real-” 

But Dumbledore suddenly stopped. 

The fire in the goblet had just turned red again, a stalk of fire shooting into the air, and with it was another piece of parchment. 

Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a hand and seized the parchment. Eyes looking to where she had pressed her lips into a flat line, as they both knew what had happened, he looked back down to the parchment. The twinkle in his eyes was gone, replaced with something akin to fear.

The room stared at Dumbledore. 

“Dumblydore?” Madame Maxine stepped forward. “What is it?”

“Lena Farland.” The whole hall turned to look at her, blue eyes like two pools of still water looking at her with sadness in them. “Miss Farland… Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?”

Theo’s hand clenched on hers as she stood up, Blaise looking as if his whole world had tilted on its axis.

_And to think, just the night before they were all laughing about the ridiculously bloody deaths that had happened in the tournament. _

Not looking at her house nor the rest of the hall, her throat feeling as if it had a thick knot in it, she licked her lips and spoke softly. “I didn’t put my name in. I swear it on the very magic in my veins.” A soft silver glow emphasized her truth and half hall gasped softly. She felt her hands shaking at her sides, voice taking on an almost pleading quality of tone. “I won’t compete. You can’t make me. I’m underage.”

“My dear, please, we can discuss this with the judges in the Champion’s room, you don’t have to-”

Barty Crouch stood up. “The rules are absolute. As soon as your name was chosen by the Goblet you were declared of age in the eyes of Magic herself. The Goblet is a binding contract...” The man’s eyes glinted with what looked like delight in the blue light of the Goblet. “And to reject your place as a champion will strip you of your magic.”

There was no noise, everyone in the hall seeming frozen with the very thought of being stripped of their magic.

Her voice was soft, closing her eyes as a tear slipped from where her impassive mask had split directly down the middle. “I could do that…”

“Lena.” Theo’s voice was shaking, his eyes wide and half the Slytherins looked as if they were listening to her say she’d kill herself. “Please, please, we can help you- You won’t be alone in this...”

She wiped her face, nodding, and collecting herself. Walking slowly to where Dumbledore stood, her lips trembled slightly as she looked at the man. “Before I accept, you have to promise me one thing... If I die during this tournament, you have to promise me you’ll bury me next to Jack.”

Dumbledore stared at her in something akin to horror. “You can’t think-”

“Promise me!” Her voice was a hiss, lips quivering and she brought up a shaking hand to cover her wet inhale.

The man closed his eyes for a long second, before nodding slowly. “I promise.”

Grabbing the parchment out of his hands sharply, she shoved a peppermint at him, putting another in her own mouth. “Then I’ll do my best to try not to die in this… Honor the house of Slytherin.” Stalking past Barty, who was smiling victoriously, she walked down to where the other Champions were.

“Lena?” Both Viktor and Cedric looked at her in surprise as three of the champions were standing around a bright fire, the other girl blinking slightly.

Lena couldn’t breathe, as if her whole world had been shattered around her ears. 

_ She knew something like this would happen- that Moody was up to something, that Crouch hated her, that Karkaroff probably wanted her dead- but she could feel nothing but grief now. _

_ She didn’t want to die. _

_ Not when she’d just found so many reasons to live... _

“I… must compete, as someone entered my name. There is no way I can back out except lose my magic.”

Viktor pulled her into his arms, smothering her in his large frame. “... I am sorry. There is no glory in fear- being forced to compete.” His voice was gruff, but understanding. “We chose. You did not.”

The girl with the long blonde hair and exceptionally pretty face rubbed her back slightly. “I am sure that ‘ou will do fine… surely zee tasks will not be zhat hard…” But the worry in the girl’s eyes betrayed her outer confidence.

Professor Dumbledore moved into the room, followed closely by Mr. Crouch, Headmaster Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape. “It seems… that Hogwarts will have two champions.”

Karkaroff and Maxime both looked a bit pinched, but they refrained from saying anything, probably understanding she wanted anything but to have to compete.

“I will not stand for a group of people that, even with my swear, will most likely not support me.” Pulling away from Viktor, she looked at Dumbledore determinedly. “I stand for myself, my friends, and my family. I stand for the House of Slytherin and the House of Farland. I stand… alone.”

The wooden foot of Moody moved towards her but she dared not look at the man without risking punching him. “I’ll be Miss Farland’s coach and score-person, as all you lot have champions and I’m not really with Hogwarts as I’m only here for the one year.”

Before she could suggest Snape to do such a thing instead, as he was her godfather, Dumbledore smiled in relief. “Thank you Alastair- I will rest a bit easier knowing that Lena is under your guidance.”

_ She damn well wouldn’t. _

Snape looked irritated, but Bagman, however, looked rather excited. “Well, shall we crack on, then?” he said, rubbing his hands together and smiling around the room. “Got to give our champions their instructions, haven’t we? Barty, want to do the honors?” 

Mr. Crouch nodded grimly, his eyes still glinting when he looked at her and he stepped forward. “Yes… The first task is designed to test your daring, so we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard. The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth, in front of the other students and a panel of judges. The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from end-of-year tests.” 

“I have my Ancient Runes OWLs and NEWTs at the end of the year.” Lena had planned this in advance and would not be happy if she was forced to wait to take them. “And I will not be canceling.”

Crouch scowled at her, but Dumbledore smiled, seeming to have regained some of his cheer. “No worries my dear. The tasks will be over by then. We only did this so as to not add more strain onto you champions.”

Snape huffed. “Are you not also taking your mastery in Potions this summer, demon?”

Lena sent the man a glare. “Maybe, depending on how much you wash your damn hair, you crotchety vampire.” They both leveled each other with mocking stares of false hate before she rubbed her temples. “Do I have to?”

“If you ever wish me to let you touch a cauldron in my classroom or house, then yes. If not, you can stick to cooking forever.” The man raised his nose in the air haughtily.

“Whatever. I’ll just drop the rest of my classes and focus on Runes, Potions, and surviving this death-game.”

The man made a small sound of affront as if he’d been punched. “You will _not__!_ Half the house will fail!” Seeming to grind his teeth together as she raised an eyebrow at the man, he sighed and finally gave in. “Fine. We will delay your mastery until next year and you will continue with your classes this year and only take your Runes tests- though I have _ no _idea why you like that class so much.”

She gave a small shrug. “It’s interesting.”

“Yes, well, I must go- I have many things to do at the office, but Carr will stay here and watch over things until the first task for me.” Crouch nodded to the Headmasters and Headmistress and then moved out of the room.

Karkaroff and Maxine corralled their champions out, Cedric nodding to her as he excused himself and she was pulled into a hug by Janus. “Lena… why are you always getting yourself in such situations? When I hoped for a Slytherin Champion I didn’t mean you, kiddo.”

Lena squished herself to the older boy, pressing her head to his chest so she could hear the steady beat of his heart. “Sorry…” Her voice was soft. “I missed you though.”

“Yeah, missed you too. It wasn’t the same without you at the cafe this summer.”

“I met a seer.” Her voice was unusually emotional, muttered into the fabric of Janus’ robes as she tried to come to terms with all of this. “She said I might die and- and this time I don’t want to die. Not yet… not when I have a family.”

There was silence, this concept seeming to sink into the four men still lingering in the room. Snape and Dumbledore didn’t say anything about it, but she knew that they knew she considered them part of that family, and of course, Janus was like her older brother. 

Janus squeezed her slightly, then pushed her back gently to arm's length. “Let’s get you to the Common Room, yeah? I’m sure everyone wants to hear what happened and I know that they’ll want to take advantage of your touchy mood to steal hugs.”

She huffed softly, nodding and let him lead her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder... who put her in the tournament? :) :) :)  
And what's the feeling of happiness to do with Jack?  
Hmmmmm... we'll have to see ;)


	23. Why Not Be Reborn?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Tom, some foreshadowing, and Ginny having absolutely no chill

The Slytherins were in a state of turmoil. 

Lena knew that it wasn’t them doubting her, as they all knew she was smart enough and had the magic to back it up… but she got the vague impression much of the house kind of viewed her as almost a sort of motherly or sisterly figure as she was always there to look out for them even if their own families wouldn't.

Ginny and some of the younger students who’d become more attached to her as they’d come into the house under her guidance were almost in hysterics at the beginning, and with great reluctance, she called a day off.

For the next day, the halls and passageways of the castle were barren of any Slytherin.

Not for breaks, nor classes, nor quidditch, nor meals did they come out. 

Instead, they all talked and ate and read as a group.

Lena and the older students helped small groups with essays or questions or even casting spells, taking breaks to talk with friends, and sometimes even falling into short naps. 

The Common Room was their escape for the day, taking this time to be with everyone as they reassured each other that even as this was a house for the school, it was also the house of their family.

At least the school was mostly okay with her.

Most of the Hufflepuffs that hadn’t been swayed by her swear (or didn’t know what it meant) had been swayed by Diggory and most of the Ravenclaws knew enough to know she wasn’t lying. The Durmstrang students knew her and had easily accepted her swear, but a majority of the Gryffindors and Beauxbatons students thought she was essentially a lying fame-seeking worm.

The Weasley twins had made it clear that they supported her, setting off a firework that colored Karkaroff’s hair Slytherin green and silver (to which the Durmstrang students in particular enjoyed) the breakfast Slytherin came out of their ‘day off’, and the Beauxbatons champion named Fleur Delacour had also been very supportive.

Though her mood darkened when during lunch of the fourth day after the Goblet of Fire had spit out her name, she found a wide-spread group of people wearing badges that read: **Support CEDRIC DIGGORY, the REAL Hogwarts Champion!**

Most of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were just looking at the few people that were wearing the badges with mild disgust, but she could feel the Slytherins’ mood growing fouler as the meal went on, the French students and the Gryffindors babbling loudly about how ‘she was a lying cheat’ and ‘a fame-greedy bint’.

One Ravenclaw girl and the boy that she was hanging off, however, seemed to be the last straw. “I just don’t understand. She should be stripped of her magic rather than be able to compete!”

With a noise of pure outrage, Ginny sprung up from her seat, seeming to forget she was able to use a wand as she tackled the girl, punching her cleanly across the face.

“_Ginevra Molly Weasley_!” She stood, her voice laced with ice, echoing across the hall and the girl froze as well as the rest of the house that had just a second ago looked as if they were ready to join the girl. Walking over with sharp steps echoing on the stone, she stopped in front of the girl and crossed her arms. “What in the name of Salazar Slytherin do you think you are _ doing_!”

“She shouldn’t have said that. _ No one _ should say that.” The girl’s mask was defiant, but her eyes betrayed apprehension, as if afraid of what Lena would think of her. 

Letting her face soften just slightly, she shook her head and took the girl’s shoulders in her hands gently. “Ginny, dear, do you think I can’t defend my own honor?” When the girl shook her head after a second, she offered up a small smile. “Then let me do just that, okay?”

“But you won’t!” The girl sounded as if she wanted to cry. “You’ll just sit back and take it because you don’t want to hurt anyone and- and you don’t care about what people say! But they shouldn’t say it! They don’t know anything about you!”

Lena sighed. “If I can’t change their minds, then neither can you. And you definitely won't by _ punching _ everyone who has that thought.” She heard the Slytherins chuckle and the girl flushed with embarrassment. Shaking her head, she cupped the girl’s cheek fondly. “We don’t want you to hurt your hand on their thick skulls anyway. Now go sit down and eat your lunch. We will talk about not acting like a rash Gryffindor _ later_.”

Nodding, seeming chastised, the girl moved back to the table.

“She- she attacked me! You should put a leash on her, the wild animal! How dare you-” 

Lena turned slowly to stare at where the Ravenclaw girl sat, cheek red and eyes wide. “Be quiet.” Grabbing the girl by the front of her robes, she dragged her up to eye level, her voice almost a hiss. “I am _ allowing _ you to insult me because I've known bitter, resentful, jealous little children like you and they don’t bother me anymore- but the second you talk about my _ house _ like that you are also insulting my _ family._ That is a punishable sin in my book.” 

“Miss Farland!” McGonagall was looking at her sternly. “If you would please, sit down. Both you and Miss Weasley will be talking to Professor Snape after dinner!” 

Releasing the girl with a sneer, she stalked back to the Slytherin table, sitting down.

_ There was no way that Snape would do anything but tell both of them off of making a scene and then send them to the Common Room. _

_ Not when he too was glaring at the girl subtly. _

Dumbledore stood with a tired and worn look to his eyes. “Students, we all come together this year not to outcast certain groups or individuals, but to make acquaintances and possibly long term friends between schools. This is not a time to be divided. Miss Farland has already said she will be representing the house she is Heir to-”

“SHE _ IS _ THE HEIR OF SLYTHERIN!” One of the Hufflepuffs stood, pale and seeming hysterical, pointing at her with a shaky hand. “SHE _ DID _OPEN THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS THEN!”

The hall dissolved into whispering and muttering.

Ginny’s face was now red with indignation and amidst the chaos, she stood with a shout across the hall. “No, she didn’t! _ I did! _”

The hall went silent.

Lena put her head in her hands.

“As was found, an object of great power was possessing Miss Weasley to open the Chamber of Secrets. However, at the end of the year when the object tried to kill Miss Weasley, Miss Farland intervened by destroying it and claiming the heirship so no other could do the same thing.” Dumbledore sounded tired, worn thin.

She blocked out the rest of Dumbledore’s speech on ‘friendship’ and ‘community’, sighing heavily and resting her head on Draco’s shoulder. 

_ What a mess. _

“You, girlie, are avoiding me.”

Sitting on a bench by the lake she’d made her second year, Lena let her switchblade dance through her fingers as she watched the still lake. “You knew I didn’t want to compete.” As the Fake Moody sat down next to her, she stabbed the bench in between the fingers of where he'd put his hand down, looking into his mismatched eyes with a sharp glare. “So why’d you put my name in? I gave you what you wanted.”

The man was all sharp lines and complete stillness, slowly pulling his hand away from her when he was sure she wouldn’t move her knife. “I didn’t.”

“You didn’t.” Repeating this softly, she stared at the man. “What do you mean? Of course you did, you’re working for-”

“I have the _ suspicion _ that Lucius Malfoy got his directions mixed up, using his political pull and Barty Crouch Sr’s hateful tendencies to enter your name.” The man sneered at the second name as if he loathed even speaking of the uptight Ministry man, before offering up a crooked smile to Lena. “Personally I can’t wait for my Lord to wake and find that his least favorite peacock has once again botched something important because of a personal grudge. I'm sure the outcome will be _interesting_, to say the least.”

Lena blinked, half surprised by the dislike Fake Moody was showing another Death Eater, half wondering what the plan for her was if she wasn’t supposed to be competing. Instead of asking either of those questions though, she smiled slightly. “I find Narcissa much more pleasing company too.”

Fake Moody gave her a somewhat critical look but nodded all the same. “She’s a lot like you in a way, with the whole nice and innocent mask hiding a will of steel.” Then, as she only hummed and nodded (she’d gotten the same impression from the woman), the man looked out to the lake. “My orders- they are to protect you, in case you were wondering.”

“Hmm.” She didn’t let her surprise show on her face, standing. “Sounds like you’re doing a fairly bad job of it then.”

“Are you coming back to class then?” The man didn’t try to follow her, just raising his voice to yell after her as she walked away. “All those other brats ’re giving me a migraine!”

Smirking to herself, she didn’t make any motion to respond, leaving the imposter Auror sitting alone on the stone bench.

_ She supposed going back to defense class wouldn’t hurt… after all, she found him a fairly adequate teacher. _

Walking down the hall holding hands with Blaise so he could guide her as she read, her book floating in front of her and her free hand flipping the pages, she felt a squeeze and stopped just before crashing into a smaller boy wearing Gryffindor robes.

Letting the book fall into her waiting hand, she blinked at the boy. "Yes?"

"I… I have to get you for- for some photograph thing?" The boy fidgeted awkwardly, even as he was only a bit shorter than her.

Looking to Blaise, she reluctantly took her hand back and put her book in her satchel. "Fine then. Please- lead away."

Walking along after the smaller Gryffindor, ignoring the whispers following her in the halls and the glow of the "_Helena Sticks_" badges, she just took care to hold her head high and walk quickly.

Led to a small classroom, Lena almost sighed in relief when she saw Cedric and he pulled her into a warm hug. "I think I hate this more than I did when the whole school thought I was sticking Slytherin's familiar on people."

"Ah, but my dear, if you could learn to ice skate while under that pressure then I wonder what you will do to astound us now!" Dumbledore ambled in, holding out a lemon drop and winking. "To take the edge off."

Trading him for a peppermint, she quickly popped the candy in her mouth, purposefully ignoring Snape's huff from off to the side. 

"Oh, so we have a rule-breaker!" A high-pitched voice came from a woman who was wearing the ugliest green dress Lean had ever seen, toting around a scale handbag, a quick-quotes quill zooming across a pad of paper. "No wonder Miss Potter is in this tournament! I hear your late father and his friends were quite the-"

Scowling deeply at the woman, Cedric's arms wrapping around her to get her to not just attack the woman, she used her magic to reach out and snap the woman's quill. "If you have any respect for the House of Slytherin, you will keep your quill to yourself, Miss Skeeter. I will not hesitate to take you up for slander, as I get along _ quite _well with the goblins."

Shrinking back at her venomous tone, the woman nodded slowly and eyed her from where she retreated to the wall of the room. 

Lena looked at the photographer with an icy gaze. "And you will not take photos of me outside this room, or you _ too _will be hearing from the goblins."

Viktor moved into the room with Fleur and Janus at his sides, the three looking at where she was being held/restrained by Cedric.

"You okay there Lena?" Janus moved to them, Cedric letting her go so the taller male could fuss over her while Fluer and Viktor moved closer to where they were as well. "Theo told me you've been sleeping less, with nightmares now too- not that he's doing any better."

"I'm fine." She pushed him away with her magic, sighing slightly as she reached up to rub at her eyes tiredly. "It's not a big deal." She neglected to mention that she and Theo stayed up in the Common Room tangled in each other's arms talking quietly about how trapped they both still felt in their dreams. (That would only make Janus worry more and wasn't really necessary.)

"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander? He is to be checking to make sure your wands are in working condition before the tournament." Dumbledore caught their attention, motioning to where the man who had sold her the wand she was carrying was sitting at a small table.

_ The same wand that she had stopped using because it refused to work half the time. _

Lena watched the others be praised for their wands before the man with the white hair looked at her with his abnormally wide eyes.

"Ah. Miss Farland… You have grown more beautiful and most likely more brilliant… the heart of stone, however, we will see." His smile was wide as if telling a fantastical story and not repeating Jack's words back to her like he'd done when they'd met.

_ The best word she'd use to describe the man was 'manic'. _

"Your wand?"

_ Ah, well, all truths must come out in the end. _

"It doesn't work. I rely mostly on my internal magic and if I'm feeling dramatic, a flick of the dead lump of wood." 

The man just held out his hand anyway.

Sighing, she let him take the ashen wand.

Inspecting it for a long moment, the wandmaker's eyebrows raised dramatically. "The ice core… it has melted." Ollivander then looked at her, as if trying to imply something but she kept her face blank. The man looked a bit tired as he opened his bag and pulled out a different wand that's wood was a bit longer and had more of a tan-ish color. "Please, hold this... if just to sate an old man's curiosity."

Taking the wand with a small sigh, she flicked it once and then hissed as it seemed to implode in her hand- wooden shards clattering to the floor and she clenched her jaw as her hand started slowly bleeding onto the table as she uncurled it.

"What is this?!" Snape started forward, looking enraged.

"I'm fine, I'm fine... Just surprised." Slowly, she pulled the wood pieces from her hand, making sure she got them all out before healing herself. She glanced at her godfather and gave a slightly wane smile. “I’ve had much worse and still been alright, no need to worry.” 

Then she looked at where Ollivander had snatched up the orangey feather that had been in the wand and was soaked in her blood, bent over and muttering to himself as magic whirled around him like a hurricane of raw energy.

Finally, looking exhausted, the man held out a pale wand- this one with a snake design curling the handle, unlike her last plain wand. "Go on then. Try it."

Taking the wand hesitantly, she gasped softly as a wonderful warm feeling overtook her body as if she was holding one of Riddle's consciousness items.

Ollivander smiled knowingly. "Yew, with water from eternal ice, a phoenix feather, and your own blood. Ten inches, slightly flexible, but unyielding at the same time. Made especially for someone who would burn the world down to protect the ones they care for… and almost an exact twin to another I sold almost sixty years ago."

_ She could guess by the way the man’s eyes were watching her with that same fear and awe, who the man was talking about. _

_ Plus, who else did she know that would have been eleven about sixty years ago? _

"You-… you sold the same wand to- to _ him_?"

The man stood with a smile. "The phoenix feathers are from the same bird, the wood from the same tree... as Jack would say, that's too much in common to be a coincidence."

Lena blinked, something raw aching in her chest as she remembered- _thi_s_ new Voldemort couldn’t be the three she’d gotten so attached to and even then there were only two of the consciousness shards left… and she had no clue where they were. _ "He also said that correlation doesn't equal causation though, and I would very much like to forget just about _ everything _you just told me, thank you." Before the man could respond, she tucked her wand in her messy bun and pulled her money pouch out of her bag. “The price? For fixing my wand?”

“Same as before, as it _ is _a new wand.”

“... indeed it is. Very well then, I agree to your terms.” She nodded. The price of having one person that she could never point her wand at was steep, but she trusted the man had no ill intentions towards her.

_ Plus, she had friends that could always do it for her. _

Chuckling, the man nodded back to her and then Dumbledore before wandering out.

"Wonderful! Now I would like to have Mister Krum sitting on this chair facing left but looking at with the camera-" As soon as the door closed the man with the camera and the face she didn't trust one bit was pushing and pulling the others around a chair in the center of the room. "Let's put Miss Delacour standing just to the side of him, leaning on the back on his chair with one of those sultry looks to the camera…” The cameraman seemed not to notice that the girl’s eyes darkened and her jaw clenched, instead pushing Cedric to the space just slightly behind and to the left of Viktor. “Mister Diggory here, and Miss Potter-”

Lena growled lowly as he went to grab for her, her wand pressed to his throat before he could. “The second you touch me without my permission?... I break your hands.” She heard Janus snort softly in the background, even if they both knew she would do it.

Chuckling nervously, the man backed up slowly. “Right- uh- Miss Potter, you’re going to be leaning slightly on Mister Diggory, with his hand on your shoulder. To- ah- symbolize the teamwork of the Hogwarts Champions of course.”

_ Her bullshit meter was going off the charts with that one. _

_ But then again… did she really care? _

“Whatever.” Stowing away her wand slowly with a pointed look to the man, she moved to Cedric’s side, smiling easily up at him before leaning into his taller frame and letting him move his arm to lay around her shoulders comfortably.

“Now… smile!” 

She looked up to Cedric, raising an eyebrow at the charming smile he tried to wear without it being too wide, and the boy shook with a silent laugh before rolling his eyes and letting his face smooth into a picture of silent strength.

They both then looked to the camera, Lena knowing all four of them were now fixing the camera with masks of impassiveness.

_ They were here to compete, not be objectified, after all. _

The small group entered the Great Hall for dinner, her and Viktor moving towards the Slytherin table while Cedric moved to his group of Hufflepuffs, but it was only a few steps the hall that she realized Fleur had paused. Turning slightly, she looked at the girl with a tilt to her head, as if to ask what she was doing.

Gesturing to herself, the girl nodded her head towards the Slytherin table.

Lena smiled slightly, nodding and giving a short wave of her hand that beckoned the girl to where she and Viktor were standing.

With a glance back to the Ravenclaw table, they watched as Fleur moved to the side of a girl with white-blonde hair, saying something and then walking over to them with the girl following. “We are allowed at your table? I will not leave Luna, but I do not wish to sit there, as zee girls follow the-… girl with auburn hair? The one zee red-head punched, oui?” Fleur's eyes narrowed back on where a girl was sitting and whispering while looking at them.

_ It was indeed, the same girl who had insulted her and then Ginny in the same sitting. _

“Of course, you are friends of my House, therefore are welcome at our table.” Her eyes moved to rest on the girl she now realized was the same one she was almost certain was a seer. “Have you any news for me before I leave you to find your seats?”

“Only that he will wake to see your face in the newspaper and you will get another gift soon enough.”

Lena blinked, before snorting softly and turning, knowing they would be able to hear her as she walked away. “Sit wherever you want, as you are both friends of my House.”

_ What a strange girl. _

** _The Quad-Wizard Championships!_ **

_ By Rita Skeeter _

_ Yes, lovely readers, I know- you all are wondering about the title- but wait no longer! I have just come back from Hogwarts, where the Triwizard Tournament is being held, but to my surprise, there were _ _four _ _champions rather than three waiting for me! _

_ Apparently just the other night the Goblet of Fire made quite a commotion by selecting three champions (one for each school) and then choosing one more to top it off! _

_ Helena Ivy Potter, the girl rumored to _ _ actually _ _ be the ‘Chosen One’, had her name drawn from the goblet. According to my sources in the castle, the girl was distraught about this, in tears as she begged the officials not to make her compete and then almost considering being stripped of her magic just to get out of the competition. _

_ But… was this just an act? _

_ There is a lot of students and staff I talked to that say the girl was entered against her own will, but one group of students say otherwise. _

_ “She was just too over-dramatic when her name came out, you know?” One Ravenclaw girl said when I asked her about this, her eyebrows pulled together in frustration. “It just didn’t fit. She’s known to be the Ice Queen of Slytherin- like- she never would cry normally- In fact, I don’t even think she has emotions!” _

_ This same sentiment was shared with me multiple times in confidence, though when I begged a few of the students to go on record about Miss Potter’s obvious lie to the whole of Hogwarts, one Hufflepuff boy had this to say: “I- I don’t think you understand. I mean, yeah, I’m in a different house but… I’ve heard the whispers. She put a prefect in the hospital wing her first year because he tried to compliment her and- and she killed the last Heir of Slytherin so she could control its monster… well, if I speak out… I’m afraid I might not even wake up in the morning.” _

_ Many others have come to me just in that one day at Hogwarts, expressing their concerns about Miss Potter and saying things in hushed voices that even scared me. _

_ Readers, I ask you this- With all the horrible people I have faced down with just my Quill alone… why does this one fourteen-year-old girl scare me so much? _

_ Well, I might have an answer to that from a brave Gryffindor, who said this to me the other day in a hushed whisper: “I’ve heard her… talking with Dumbledore? The Headmaster, he used to be childhood friends with Grindelwald before the man went insane, but- well- I heard Dumbledore say that she reminded him of the late Dark Lord. It’s obvious to anyone who opens their eyes… she’s plotting to be the next Dark Lady.” _

_ Readers, I am worried about the state of our beautiful country, with this monster in our midst. _

_ More about the Potter Family on page 3 _

  
  


The man opened his eyes, staring at the cream and gold designs on the opulent ceiling for a long while before sitting up slowly.

_ What a strange dream. _

_ He could swear that Barty had come to him holding- _

His eyes landed on where a newspaper was laying on the bedside table, a blood-red stone weighing it down. Reaching out slowly for the stone as if to check he wasn’t seeing things, he paused once more at the sight of his hands. 

First off- He _had __hands_.

Second- Unlike the sickly almost white-blue skin that he’d become used to seeing along with serpentine eyes and the small patches of scales that covered his skin… his hands bore the soft flush of life they’d had before he’d gone through all those different rituals while traveling, his skin a soft peach-ish color in the morning light.

Standing on slightly unsteady legs, he moved to the attached bathroom, staring at his face in the mirror. 

The coloring of a normal healthy man covered his whole expanse of smooth skin with no scales to be seen, his lips a light pink rather than the pale white lines they’d become, and his hair… moving a hand to touch the silken dark brown strands, he smiled- and then marveled at that too.

_ He had been made anew. _

Finally, he was closer to the body that made up most of his memory and personality instead of the sliver of madness that he’d been quick to squash as soon as he’d first woken from a healing sleep in the Malfoy Manor.

_ No more days of possessing muggles or weak wizards so he could have the chance of glimpsing his green-eyed obsession. No, now he would be able to make himself known to her as he really was… As she would remember him. _

Moving back to the soft bed, he put aside the stone carefully and then reached for the newspaper. On the front page was a large picture of four teenagers, but the one his eyes snapped to was leaning on another boy, seeming to be scolding him playfully for the friendly (and slightly goofy) smile the boy wore.

Hands clenching, he instead focused on the girl, because if he focused on how the boy’s arm was laying around her shoulders he was going to light the paper on fire before he even read the article.

Lena was twice as stunning as he remembered her in his mind, wide green eyes framed by thick black lashes that blinked slowly as if she didn’t have a cruel bone in her body and long black hair that reminded him of the night sky.

Making a note to- if there were no other pictures of Lena- cut this one out (and then remove the other boy from sight), he moved on to read the article.

_ “-was distraught about this, in tears as she begged the officials not to make her compete and then almost considering being stripped of her magic just to get out of the competition…” _

Frowning deeply, even as he skimmed through the lies of the notoriously drama-seeking reporter, he couldn’t get that one line out of his head. 

Something ugly twisted in his stomach at the thought of Lena even _suggesting_ to give up her magic- as he knew her and he knew that she’d never do that without a strong enough and equally daunting idea- he slid out of the bed and padded to the door, grabbing a robe as he did.

It seemed that Narcissa and Lucius weren’t expecting to see him up, much less in a robe and sleep pants in their dining room.

“My Lord, you should be resting.” Narcissa frowned slightly at him, as she was a healer first and a follower second. “Until I am sure that you are fully healed you should not strain yourself…” But she flicked her wand to pull a chair out for him at the small table anyways, knowing all too well his stubbornness.

Lucius bowed his head low as he sat down. “What- what can I do for you, my Lord?”

Letting the newspaper drop to the table with a smack, he looked at Lucius with a purposefully blank mask. “Is it true... that Lena Farland really considered giving up her magic instead of competing?”

“It is.” Something akin to satisfaction showed in the man’s eyes. “Barty Sr. even told me that she begged Dumbledore to bury her next to the man that isn’t even her father- said he’d never seen the old goat look so defeated, not that I wouldn’t bet when the brat kicks it he’ll-”

Narcissa stood suddenly, chair squeaking against the tile, her eyes cold as ice and jaw clenched. “It would _break Draco’s heart_ to know one of his best friends was so cruelly pushed into this _ridiculousness_ by the father he so admires!” The woman hissed as if she was channeling Salazar’s basilisk, voice venomous. “You can sleep in a guest room because you’re _ not _the man I married.”

Lucius watched the woman stalk from the room and turned to him as if embarrassed for the woman’s behavior when neither of them could hear the click of heels anymore. “She got too attached to the girl over the summer, Milord, apologies that you had to hear such a thing.”

“Yess…” Leaning back, his voice on the edge of slipping into parseltongue, he watched the man with slitted eyes, trying to restrain himself from just killing the idiot. “I too am sorry, as you seemed to have failed my instruction... It is times like this I wonder if I marked the wrong Malfoy...”

“M-my Lord?”

He hissed slightly, letting his mask fall so the man could see the furious anger he was holding back. “I thought I told you that the girl was crucial to my plans? You were supposed to set up the Tournament and Barty Jr. was the one who was supposed to put her name in… though she willingly gave me the items I needed for my ritual, hence Barty being ordered just to stand back and keep her safe.” Leaning forward, he looked at the man coldly. “Why, if she had already completed what I had needed her in the tournament for… did you enter her unwillingly?”

The man’s surface thoughts showed nothing but shock. “You- you think her a valuable asset? I thought- I thought the tournament was planned to kill her?”

Hissing at the very thought of Lena being in any way harmed, his voice lowered dangerously. "_Kill _her? I do not want her _ dead_!” When the man paled, he narrowed his eyes. “_What _ did you _ do.” _

“The tasks- well I thought-...” The man was pale now, not meeting his eyes.

“_Tell me_.” He hissed.

Swallowing thickly, the man waved his wand, summoning something that looked like a folder of papers and handing them his way with shaky hands. “The first task…” The man flipped to a picture that had his stomach twisting painfully in dread. “It- it’s dragons.”

The resulting curse had the Malfoy Patriarch on his knees, begging for a chance at redemption.

He sneered, releasing the curse and moving to stand before the crumpled figure. “For every single scratch Lena gets from your _idiocy_, you will get that back _tenfold_. Did you not think about the other three magical children competing before you made this tournament a deathtrap? I bet it didn’t even cross your mind… Now go-” he kicked the man lightly, “-and _ fix _ this. Make this an actual tournament and not just some stupid plot to kill four _ children_.”

Watching the man scramble up and run out unsteadily, he turned to the mirror sitting above the fireplace across the room, touching his cheek lightly.

He was still in awe of his new skin, marveling over how much _better_ and _whole_ he felt with more than half his soul returned to a body that was _his_ once more.

“I wonder…” His voice was soft, eyes glancing at the picture in the newspaper as if speaking to the girl in the photo- as if she could somehow hear his soft mutter. “How you would like this new form of mine, my dear…”

_ It was a twisted obsession, he was sure. _

_ But from that twisted obsession, that patient craving, the meticulous need… came something new. _

_ He had been reborn from the ashes of Tom Riddle and Voldemort... as Thomas Gaunt. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I've been slightly MIA with answering comments and such, but I do appreciate the love and support and will try to keep up with everything better as I try to keep up with the Holidays and family and schoolwork :)  
Know that I do love you all and you're all valid and if you ever want to scream at me about any of my stories I will happily listen (and maybe scream back)  
A wonderful I'm-still-pretending-it's-day to you!


	24. Why Not Poison One's Self?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for Charles Potter, the first task, and Lena making a mistake? (yes, she makes mistakes too)  
Enjoy!

“Well, she’s horrible! Why else would I say that- and it’s the truth!” The auburn-haired girl walked with her posse of sycophants towards where Lena was hidden in the shadows of a secret alcove that was blocked from prying eyes. “I mean honestly- I heard Roger saying he’d get with that skank and I just had to do something! No way is she prettier than me! Not in a million-”

Suddenly she cut off, holding her throat as she tried to speak.

Lena smiled, looking at the ugly pink orb that she’d _acquired_, before slipping back into the secret passageway, content that by the time the girl got her voice back that she’d have seen the importance of watching what lies she spouted.

Walking into the Slytherin Common Room, she looked around and then smirked. Moving to the fireplace mantle, she used her wand to carve out a small space in the metal above the fire, setting the stone into the metal and then fitting it with small edges to keep it in.

“Collecting trinkets?” Daphne’s voice was curious, but her eyes sharp.

She hummed. “If you clip a bird’s wings, it will find the strength to hate you, but take away it’s the ability to sing… Well, I believe this bird will come to understand, in its despair, that it earned its fate.” Turning to smile at the watching Common Room, she caught a few of the students shiver in fear, Ginny looking satisfied. “Plus… hasn’t that that stone has always been there?”

There was no argument, the room taking that as a cue to go back to their own business.

It was a rumor the next day that Marietta Edgecombe had lost her voice permanently, some eyes lingering on her as this was said, though she just ignored it.

_ She shouldn’t have insulted her family. _

Lena had left her friends after almost a whole day of sitting at the Hog’s Head and teasing Aberforth about the man keeping butterbeer in the tavern just for them, as they were the only kids that took to the musty bar. 

Walking along the streets with students moving around her as if she was just another kid, she put her hands in her pockets and made her way towards the train station where she could sit in silence and just look at the sky until she would have to go back to the castle. 

Almost bumping into a girl who swerved in her way giggling, she moved quickly to avoid the girl and- 

She froze.

There, in a sea of students, was a man with neatly styled hair and fine robes- eyes like garnets watching her intently.

_ Tom? _

But a boy walked in front of her, and when he’d passed, there was no one there. Blinking a few times and then shaking her head, she started towards the train station.

“Lena!” Charles Potter ran to catch up with her, face in a hesitant smile. “I- I wanted to tell you that both I and my family don’t think you put your name in the Goblet.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

The boy caught her arm when she moved to keep walking, moving to stand in front of her. “Lena… I know that we aren’t very close and that we’ve both been a bit standoffish to each other this last year or so, and that you don’t want to be a Potter… but can we be friends at least?”

Looking at the eyes like two bright brown pools of milk chocolate, she nodded slowly, wondering why the boy’s hand didn’t give her a single feeling other than the cold tips of his fingers and the subtle warmth of his palm. “I can do that.”

“Great! Because Cedric really likes you and he’s a close friend and I didn’t want it to be awkward, y’know?”

_ She didn’t understand- why would that be awkward? _

Smiling softly, she shook her head anyway, if just to placate the boy. “Of course, that wouldn’t do.” Pausing, she looked towards the road to the train station. “I was headed to the train station to sit and watch the clouds. Would you like to join me?”

Charlie blinked as if he wasn’t expecting her to offer up her time. “Um- sure!” Taking his hand away, they started to walk that way. “Sorry about grabbing your wrist. I know- well- Ginny told me you don’t like to be touched.”

“It’s not that. Not really.” Her voice was soft, not looking over as she reached to take his hand, interlacing their fingers. “Some people it’s okay, like you and my friends… but others- It’s like I can feel through their skin how much of a threat they are to me. Like Blaise and Theo are both warm, comfortable, whereas Karkaroff feels as if someone’s slowly taking a knife and skinning off the top layer of wherever he touches me.” 

“Oh.” The boy smiled softly at her. “I noticed you avoided him… it makes sense now.”

Lena looked at him, wondering, _ hoping... _“Do you get that too?” But when he shook his head, she just nodded slightly and looked back out across the landscapes, trying to ignore the slight disappointment lingering in her throat. “I had a theory it was because humans are social creatures and we tend to seek out touch from people we trust… but I didn’t trust anyone but Jack when I was young. And he didn’t like people in his space because of the war.”

Charlie was quiet, a slight frown on his lips. “Sorry.”

They walked to the station and sat on the bench, their hands still clasped together. 

“Your birthday is July 31st, same as mine. Though I was born sometime around noon and you were born just before midnight.” The boy didn’t look at her as if she would reject the information. “I didn’t know if you would want to know, but-”

“Thank you.” Lena squeezed his hand gently. “I never had a specific date… Jack estimated my birthday was around June.”

Sitting for a while, not looking at the time, they shared the quiet peace and pointed out shapes in the clouds whenever they found one. Finally, as the day was winding down, they started back towards town. 

Charles swung his arm, and by attachment, hers, as they walked and she smiled slightly at the childish habit. But there was something that needed to be addressed. “You didn’t find me here to talk about birthdays and clouds.”

“I did. Kind of.” The boy didn’t stop swinging his arm, but his voice was defensive.

“And the other thing?”

Stopping, the boy turned to her with eyes that looked almost… _ worried_. “Ron Welasey’s my friend and he told me that he saw Charlie Weasley in the forest.” When she blinked slowly, he huffed slightly in amusement. “Charlie Weasley is his older brother, a dragon tamer that works in Romania.” 

Eyes widening slightly at the implication, she looked at Charles. “You think they would-” Then Barty Crouch’s gleeful face came to her mind and she sighed, pulling her hand from his. “In turn for the information, I’ll offer this advice: Next time you want to make friends with someone who doesn’t trust easily, start with that information so they don’t think you only told them because they accepted your friendship.”

“I didn’t-” 

Raising a hand to stop him, she shook her head. “Doesn’t matter now. I’ll ignore it this time because you might have saved my life.” Turning, she walked to where her Court was waiting for her.

Blaise studied her. “Everything alright?”

“Wonderful.” She ignored the glances and shoved her hand into her pockets. “It literally couldn’t get better.” Lena was then proven wrong as she thought she saw Riddle out of the corner of her eye, turning and clenching her jaw when no one was there. Huffing to herself, she stalked faster towards the castle. “Absolutely bloody _wonderful. _”

_ She was seeing things and she had to face a dragon head-on in about a week. _

_ Oh yeah, everything was just dandy. _

Spotting Cedric getting mooned over by a group of girls as they were walking back- Theo and Daphne arguing over the best type of candy like an old married couple- she whistled sharply and waved slightly at the older Hufflepuff. “Cedric, do you have a moment?”

“Oh, uh, yeah sure. Hey Lena.” The boy gave out a few false platitudes to the girls who glared at her, before stopping in front of her with a questioning smile. “What’s up?”

“Dragons, apparently.” She smiled thinly, voice just quiet enough for the girls watching them not to hear. “They’re the first task, according to a friend.”

The group behind her went silent.

Cedric swallowed, looking suddenly sick. “What- Lena- What am I supposed to-” 

“You should definitely learn disillusionment charms and scent-blocking charms if you haven’t already. I assume we have to either solve some puzzle or get something from the dragon so start practicing levitating increasingly heavy objects, just in case.”

“And- and you?”

Lena shrugged. “I think I’ll try to talk to it, maybe bring it a cow as a sacrifice.” When the boy sputtered slightly at her, she patted his shoulder, looking to her Court. “I am the daughter of a dragon tamer, after all, and you’d be surprised what tips Jack had.”

Theo laughed, shaking his head. “I have a feeling you’re going to have a new pet after this.”

She just grinned something that would have looked far too broken and bloody on her face had the others not gotten used to it, and took Blaise’s hand as they started back to the castle.

Because Karkaroff and Madame Maxine were cheating cheaters, the other two already knew, both trying to tell her at the same time, which led to them staring at each other in betrayal and her laughing brightly.

From there the three other champions and she had taken to all meetings in the Slytherin Common Room (Luna tagging along with Fluer), practicing spells and talking strategy. 

Because Viktor was irritated at only being thought of as good at Quidditch, he was taking the idea of the charms while Cedric decided to try to appease his father by outflying the dragon, to which she demanded she let him buy a Firebolt for him or she’d blame her lack of sleep on him worrying her. Fleur was exceptionally good with charms too, the French girl working with Viktor to both master their respective charms (practicing on the Slytherins that volunteered to either be put to sleep or floated in the air).

Lena, however, was taking a different path. 

Sending a letter to the goblins and finding Jack had his old war uniform stashed in his vault, she contacted the best tailor the goblins knew and had them replicate most of the uniform with a few… modifications.

Going down to the kitchens the night before the tournament, she made a bag of supplies and then gave the bag to Theo at breakfast with instructions to bring it to the first task, not to hold it too tight, and not hook it over his neck.

Wearing Janus’ long cloak over her clothes to heighten the surprise, she accepted a hug from the older boy and then from Theo and Daphne and Draco, who wanted to get there early to get the best seats.

“I worry about you.” Blaise and she walked to the Champion’s tent, stopping outside it so he could grip her hands tightly. “You won’t tell anyone what you’re planning and other than your runes and helping others, you haven’t been practicing any high-level spells that aren’t already in your repertoire....”

“You watch me that closely?” She teased with a smile

Blaise huffed, giving her a look as if she was missing something. “Always.”

Lena smiled, pulling the boy into a hug. “Then you should know that I’m never without a plan.” Her voice softened slightly. “I don’t want to let my House down, do I?”

“You know, for all the times you say it to others, I don’t think you believe it yourself. Even if no one else likes your or is supportive, you _ are _enough in the eyes of Slytherin… and my eyes.” With a quick grin, the boy glanced to where the officials were starting to move towards the tent, pressing a kiss to her forehead (that had her blinking in surprise) and winking. “Good luck.”

Before she could say anything about not needing luck, he was gone.

“Helena! Good!” Ludo Bagman, the idiot, smiled at her and pushed open the tent flap. “Well in you go! Come on, there’s not much time!” 

“Obviously, or I wouldn’t be here.” She muttered a string of unhappy words under her breath, moving to where the three champions were all sitting on one of the four beds, seeming to find solace in the closeness. Viktor moved so she could sit in between Fleur and him, and she brought out four bars of chocolate, giving the three out and then looking to where the fake Moody looked more worried than she’d ever seen him. “You want half, Moods?”

The man jolted a bit, looking at her incredulity for a second at the nickname, before giving a grizzled smile. “Sure, kid.” 

Seeing Snape entered, looking just as worried, if not more, and she threw the whole bar to Moody after only a second pause. “Second thought- share with Sev. You both look like you’re going to need it.”

“Are we?” The dour potions master narrowed his eyes on her.

Lena shrugged. “Is belladonna poisonous?”

The man snatched the bar of chocolate from Moody with a glare to both of them, muttering about_ ‘__grey hairs__’_ and _‘__idiot children' _as he broke off half and reluctantly handed the rest back to Moody.

“My dear, do you have anything else on you other than your wand that would invalidate the conditions of the Tournament?” Dumbledore stepped forward, also looking worried. 

“I only brought the chocolate. My wand is here, I’d rather not take off my lordship rings, I have my clothing, and I’ll take off the cloak beforehand. Other than that? Nope.” She smiled brightly at the man. “No need to worry old man- I have Jack on my side.”

The blue eyes widened for a moment before the man smiled and the worry dimmed. “As he is always.”

“Well, now we’re all here- time to fill you in!” said Bagman brightly. “When the audience has assembled, I’m going to be offering each of you this bag,” he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them, “from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different- er- varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too.. ah, yes, your task is to collect the golden egg!” 

_ They wanted them to get an egg from a nesting mother?! What kind of fuckery- _

_ Oh, yeah… They were trying to kill her. _

Lena sighed deeply, closing her eyes so she could listen to the hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of feet that could be heard passing the tent, the students talking excitedly. 

Soon enough Bagman’s voice spoke up again and when she opened her eyes he was holding up the purple silk sack. “Ladies first,” he said, offering it to Fleur. 

Looking to the others and getting encouraging nods, Fleur drew out a tiny model of a dragon- a Welsh Green with a tag reading ‘_#2’ _ around its neck. Krum pulled out a scarlet Chinese Fireball with its tag reading ‘_#3’_, Cedric drawing a blueish-gray Swedish Short-Snout with a ‘_#1’ _ tied around its neck. 

Bagman looked to her with a smile, but it was wavering. “Well… Miss Potter?”

Lena crossed her arms. “I don’t see Lily Potter here.”

“No- um- you, Miss Potter.”

“That’s not my last name and I refuse to answer to it.” She tilted her head. “How about you use the name _ the Goblet _ even stated was mine?”

The other champions must have been giving the man dirty looks behind her back too, because he almost fumbled the bag, nodding quickly. “Right, right, sorry- um- Miss Farland?”

With a sharp glare, she reached into the bag, raising an eyebrow as she drew out her hand and stared at where a miniature Hungarian Horntail had sunk its teeth into her hand and was hanging stubbornly from her hand. Poking its side, she put a hand under it so it didn’t have to dangle. “Stop that. You’ll strain your jaw, silly thing.”

Eyes flickering to her, the tiny dragon slowly let go of her hand and huffed as it curled up moodily in her hand as she sat down. 

“Well, there you are!” said Bagman. “You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I’m going to have to leave you in a moment, because I’m commentating. Mr. Diggory, you’re first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now Hel-... Lena... could I have a quick word? Outside?”

“No.” She lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “I don’t like you. Go away.”

She heard both Snape and Moody snort, Dumbledore’s voice highly amused when he spoke up. “Yes, well we better get to the stands Ludo, Crouch.”

“Good luck, _ Champions_.” 

Lena’s hand twitched, her magic tripping Barty, the others in the tent stifling laughter as she heard him huff and mutter something darkly. Waiting until the others had left she pulled herself up and moved to hang up her cloak, moving to the middle of the tent floor so she could stretch.

“What… are ‘ou wearing?” Fleur looked at her in surprise.

She was wearing a pair of heavy fire-resistant pants with the emblem of Jack’s special forces division in the war on the side and specialized boots, but her entire top half was bare except for where her chest was wrapped with bindings that had been soaked with a special type of Delphi’s venom and then dried for three days. The bindings would mark her as a friend of reptilian creatures, the bared skin to show she wasn’t a threat. 

Lena grinned up at where the three were gaping at her. “I’m wearing my plan. This and some food. That’s my plan.”

Viktor choked on his tongue. “The- the Minister is here! He- he will not want to watch you die and- and your friends! What about-”

“Breathe. I will be alright.” She smiled and finished stretching. “Fleur, since you’re not up yet, could you help me tie up my hair snugly? I need to make sure my neck especially is bared.”

The girl gave her a strange look but did as she said.

A whistle blew.

Taking Cedric’s hand, she smiled encouragingly. “It’ll be there. Just call for the firebolt, as it’s rightfully under your name.”

Nodding, the boy left.

Soon enough, with the crowd going crazy with excitement, another whistle blew and she waved off Fleur from where she was worrying her hands. “If you can put all of Slytherin to sleep, you’ll be able to do this, but remember to silence the crowds so it won’t wake up too early.”

“Good luck, chère.” Then with a small smile, the girl nodded to Viktor, straightened her shoulders, and walked out.

“And you… just have to speak clearly, plus picture what you are transforming and what you are levitating.” She moved to lean against the boy on the cot. “I’m proud of you for showing everyone you’re more than just a Quidditch player.”

The boy rubbed her back, hand warm on the bare skin, and it felt strange but not unpleasant. “I may not understand, but I believe in you.”

It wasn’t long before another whistle blew and she was alone.

_ Breathe Lena. _

The fourth whistle blew, sharp and shrill, seeming to reverberate in her very bones.

_ You know what to do. _

Walking slowly through the tunnel with her head held high, sending a wink to where McGonagall was gaping at her, she moved to the edge of the wards to the enclosure and paused, looking around. The dragon was nowhere in sight, and as she guessed, it probably didn’t have the neural inhibitors as the other ones- meaning it was at the height of being an apex predator and she was the small squishy prey.

_ You remember what Jack used to say about approaching something that’s obviously able to eat you in one bite. Give up some of your power in a sign you’re not here to fight, show you’re not a threat but a friend, don’t patronize but offer help in whatever it needs, and keep your posture open. _

She walked into the stadium just a few feet from the door, flicked her wand, summoning the messenger bag, and setting it to her side. Then ignoring the stares, she holstered her wand and tossed it past the barrier to the stadium, where she wouldn’t be able to go until she had the egg.

Her eyes caught another glimpse of Riddle sitting in the stands, but she just rubbed the bridge of her nose and turned to the rocky stadium. 

_ She didn’t have time to be crazy right now. _

Ludo Bagman was talking, words like _‘what is she doing’_, _‘half-naked’_, and _‘insane’_ being thrown around but she ignored him.

“Hello!” She spread her arms, keeping her movements open as she shouldered the bag and moved forward slowly. “Can you please come out to where I could see you? I’m unarmed and would rather see who I’m stuck in this cage with.”

There was a thick silence for a heartbeat, before a massive figure pulled itself out of a crevice, towering over her. Looking her in the eyes, it blinked slowly, a low hiss of a voice seeming to emanate from it. _“You are not lying… there is magic on you, but no weapons.” _Lowering a single massive eye to her, it blinked slowly. _“Why? You are human, the species of destruction, yet you carry no tools but a bag of what smells like food.”_

Lena smiled, making sure not to show her teeth. “Well I had to come in here and at least try to get a golden egg from you, but before that, I was rather thinking that we could sit and eat together because I’ve never gotten to spend time with a dragon before and let me tell you- you are _magnificent. _”

_ “You smell like a friend.” _

She nodded, even as she felt a headache building in her head, trying to ignore it. “Delphi, Salazar’s familiar especially requested I soak my bandages in her venom, as she was worried for me. Apparently, I’m her hatchling now.” Lena wrinkled her nose at the thought of the overprotective snake, sitting down and crossing her legs. “Anyway- my guardian used to work with dragons and he told me once that your kind like popcorn and apples because they crunch like bones, but won't splinter and get stuck in your gums as much.”

The massive beast hissed in what she recognized as a laugh, moving to sit on the ground tamely, setting its massive head down next to her. _ “I would not know. I do not get fed anything but meat and bones, because most humans are stupid and think we are carnivores.” _

“Well, I have apples and popcorn balls then. But your popcorn balls are much bigger because as you probably noticed, I’m kind of small.”

_ “Even for a human.” _

She pouted. “Rude!” Then with a sigh, she pulled out a football-sized popcorn ball. “But alright, I guess if anyone has the right to make fun of my height, it’s you.” Tossing the ball to the dragon, who snapped it up, she pulled out her own palm-sized ball and took a bite. 

The dragon made a low vibrating hum. _ “You are a good snakeling... I think I will not eat you.” _

“Thanks. That’s a relief.” Lena tossed a few apples in the dragon’s mouth, before looking at the chain around its foot. “Hey, you want me to break you out of that? I’d be more than happy to put your eggs in my expandable bag and let you leave, as long as you leave me the golden egg.”

_ “And the wards?” _

Lena laughed slightly, biting her bottom lip to hide a toothy grin. “Well, you see, I came here about a week ago looking at the stadium to get a good layout of it so I wouldn’t be surprised by it- but I _ might _have also set up a rune around the stadium so that when I entered it wouldn’t let anyone in until I got the egg and wouldn’t let me out until I got the egg, but that anything else in the stadium would be able to leave. Oh, and they can’t hear a word we’re saying.”

The dragon hissed with laughter. _ “Humans are stupid and snakeling is smart.” _ Then it bobbing its head. _ “Leave the food in the bag. I will watch you put the eggs in. Then I will go and you can have your golden object.” _

“Sounds good!” Standing and stretching, she moved over to the eggs, carefully putting one in at a time to the confusion of the crowd. Then she handed the bag over for the dragon to grip in its talon with a wide smile. “I hope you find a place with more apples!”

_ “Thank you. You are truly a friend.” _ Putting its snout to her, it licked her from bellybutton to face, covering her in slobber. _ “You are now marked as a Child of Dragons. _” Then, spreading its massive wings, it looked to the sky longingly.

Wiping the slobber from her face, she dipped her head and then flicked her hand to break the chain. “Goodbye, friend.”

With a whoosh of wind, hearing the crowds scream as the dragon just kind of _glided _into the air, she saluted where the dragon flew into the distance and then took the golden egg. 

Wiping off more of the slobber as she went, she ignored the judges' table and picked up her wand holster and used her wand to clean herself off, moving out of the arena, but almost fell backward when a familiar figure ran to envelop her in a hug. She looked to where Moody was guiding her Court to her.

“Mercy! Mercy! I’m being attacked!”

Blaise growled, shoving her to arm's length with a wide scowl. “You scared me half to death, throwing your wand away like that! What were you thinking! And just letting it stand over you- I thought that I was going to have to drag your charred corpse out of there myself!”

Lena smiled, glancing at where Theo standing with a frown that Draco and Daphne seemed to have copied. “All parts of my plan, I assure you.”

“Was breaking rules part of that plan, Miss Farland?! You ought to be kicked out of the competition for releasing that dragon!”

Turning to where Barty Crouch was glaring at her and marching her way with the other judges and VIPs, she grinned toothily. “Oh, but then someone would have to fess up to having stopped the neural inhibiting potions on my dragon because it was not only clever enough to hold a full conversation with me but escape. Plus, my task was only to get the golden egg. I did that, just as I was told, so isn’t the rest _ your _fault for not having better wards and protection for the guests?”

The man sputtered, a few of the important people that had come to watch eyeing him now. “You- you cheated! Someone helped you!”

“Oh, but Mr. Idiot, if you didn’t remember- I’m an orphan raised by a war hero _who worked with dragons_. Maybe instead, the person trying to get me killed shouldn’t be so _ fucking thickheaded about how they try to do it! _” Her fists clenched at her sides, the man’s eye twitching.

“Lena,” Janus spoke up with a slight smirk. “You lost some points for letting the dragon go, but overall your score was-”

She waved her hand. “I don’t care about that, as I’m not in this to win, just to survive.”

“Okay kid, enough of that- let’s get you to Madame Pomfrey- I know you’re hiding that nasty wound you got.”

_ Ah. Right... Magical eye. _

Cringing when the adults and her friends all looked at her pointedly, she tried to smile, even if it came out as somewhat of a grimace. “It’s nothing bad, I just had to make sure that the dragon would know I wasn’t a threat, and uh- it’s best if you have some type of wound.”

She’d cut across her side where the bandages covered right before her task, as the smell of blood would make sure the dragon saw her as a friend as it would combine with the scent of the venom and- 

_ Shit. _

_ She was an idiot. _

“Okay, so I blame this on my lack of sleep, but I had to do some rune homework and soak my bandages, but I might have very dangerous venom… in my bloodstream.” 

_ She could put off seeing Riddle on this then. _

_ And the headache. _

Grabbing Blaise’s shoulder to steady herself as she swayed, she smiled apologetically. “I had hoped to do- do this _away _from- from you lot... ” Brain seeming to slow, she felt her knees weaken and realized that she had indeed been slowly poisoning herself with Delphi’s immunity poison, berating herself mentally. Feeling someone catch her, she couldn’t keep her eyes open for longer than a few seconds at a time, seeing brown hair and taking a deep breath as if felt like fire was spreading through her veins. “Sorr- sorry... Tom…”

Someone said something, but she was too gone to hear it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hear me out- Lena could care less about people using the name 'Helena Potter'- as they're basically talking about someone who doesn't exist- unless they call her the name to her face.  
As for Rita... well she'll get what's coming to her eventually ^-^ after everyone's a little less stressed with the tournament


	25. Why Not Purposefully Get Possessed Again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone order some Tom?  
No?  
Too bad ^-^ He's here anyway~!

There was nothing but fire, eating its way through every single atom in her body, and a voice.

“He will suffer for this.”

_Who? Who would suffer? And why for this? _

The voice was soft, smooth like the hand that she felt brush away her hair, the touch soothing against the fire in her veins. “Even as I know that this was done by your own hand, for a reason I will _never _understand… You should never have been hurt. _ Never_.” 

_ Why? Why do you care? _

“I will see you again, as I promised.”

Something clicked in her brain, like the last puzzle piece falling into place.

_ Riddle? Tom? _

_ Wait… _

_ Come back... _

When she finally woke, the fire having dimmed, she jerked out of bed and limped determinedly to the door of the infirmary while looking around wildly for Tom. 

“Whoa there girlie- you should be laying down.” A staff moved to block her way, Moody's grizzled face twisting as he raised an eyebrow. “What’re you doing up? You look to have seen a ghost.”

“I-” She looked out the door, before resigning herself to just having been hallucinating the voice. “In a way, I did…”

The man eyed her, face unreadable.

She shook her head, forcing a small smile onto her face to hide the cold sinking into her bones. _ Two left. All she had were two more... _ “It’s nothing- Just thought I heard the voice of an old friend.” Limping back to her bed slowly, she waved her hand at the man as she got back into the white bed, trying to divert the topic. “Any news about the next task?”

“The golden eggs… they have some sort of clue inside them to your next task.” The man’s blue eye swiveled to her side table. “And I believe that you have more than a few admirers from that stunt you pulled.”

Lena followed his eye to where a pile of presents was taking up her bedside table, the tiny figurine of the dragon she’d gotten sitting atop the pile sleeping soundly. “Should I be afraid?”

Moody scowled. “I made sure they weren’t harmful.” Then he reached into the pile and pulled out a small black box. “Though this is the only one that isn’t a love letter or chocolates.”

Humming, she opened the box, looking at the gold locket inside and gasping softly. “Who...” But when her fingers brushed against the locket that bore the symbol of Salazar Slytherin, her eyes widened at the soothing warmth it gave, taking it in her palm and smiling softly at it. “Oh... I see that she was right… I didn’t even have to go looking for it.”

“I suggest you rest.” Moody glanced at the golden locket and then her with a strange look, before smirking meanly. “I suspect you’ll need it before you face the wolves.”

Ignoring his strange prod, she nodded absently, moving to put the locket around her neck and then dropping the outer barriers of her mind. Waiting silently, a presence moved in, but it didn’t try to enter her mind further- just settling there. 

_ “Hello, Lena. It’s nice to finally meet you. You are certainly prettier than I expected.” _

_ Riddle. It’s good to meet you. _

Her smile was fond, closing her eyes and sinking back into her own mindscape. Opening her eyes to stand in a giant library, the wood floors cool against her bare feet, she hummed softly as she strolled through the towering stacks. “Are you after the Diadem then? Or maybe before him?” 

“Before.” The soft voice seemed to echo off the walls of the library and she caught a glimpse of black robes out of the corner of her eyes, but when she turned there was nothing there. “I am the third of the five- the middle child if you wish.”

Lena snorted at the metaphor for the five different Riddles, looking around for the boy who seemed to be playing hide and seek with her. “Sounds lonely. Ignored by your parents for the younger ones and not old enough to be independent…”

Her wrist was caught and she was spun around before being pulled in by a hand on her waist, a boy that looked about Janus’ age grinning down at her, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “Ah, my dear, but I have you here now to keep me company.”

“It’s not permanent.” She let herself be held by the boy- for now- if only to give him a small but sad smile. “Eventually, I will have to destroy you, as I did the others.”

Leaning in with brown eyes hiding the barest hints of red, the boy brushed his nose against hers. “Why? If you wished you could just… keep me?”

“Because, if I am not wrong, your existence is tied to the man who has started to play with my life and I am merely preparing for the worst outcome… as he has already been the cause of one near-death experience.” Leaning in, she stood on her tippy toes to press her cheek to his, voice a whisper in his ear. “And because if I kept you, I would never let go.” 

“Do it.” The voice in her ear was rough, almost pleading, the hand on her back digging its fingers in slightly.

Lena backed away with a smile, glad for the way he let her leave his grasp, even if his hands twitched as if he didn’t want to. She looked over the boy- his dark hair short and styled neatly, robes less classy than normal but still in pristine condition- and smiled teasingly. “Oh, but that’s just the strange obsession every part of you seems to have with me talking, dearest. I get the feeling you’d hate me if I _ actually _kept you, as I don’t let go of what I consider mine.”

Riddle smiled darkly, moving forward as if he was stalking his prey. “But for now, I _ am _yours.”

Right before he reached her, she was gone, blinking up at the ceiling of the medical wing with a smirk. “No, dear, you are still all yours. I'm just a… handler of sorts for now.”

_ “Rude.” _

“It’s all fair in love and war, dearest.” At the soft huff she got in return at that, she just moved to take the golden egg in her lap, twisting the top to open it.

Inside was a slip of paper.

Apparently, the four slips of paper were different parts of a whole poem.

Viktor's slip read the first part-

_ The first is one of woe, _

_ A tale often told by Poe, _

_ A salty drop left on white stone, _

_ It will come after a final groan. _

Cedric got the second slip-

_ The second is a scare, _

_ Something everyone does share, _

_ A chilling terror deep inside, _

_ Without care, it will destroy your pride. _

Fleur having the third-

_ Third by cupid’s bow found, _

_ By good marriage often crowned, _

_ The only thing stronger than death, _

_ The thing to swear until one’s last breath. _

And Lena… she received the fourth-

_ The final fourth a joy, _

_ The opposite of annoy, _

_ A Patronus needs this to live, _

_ And by others do this to you give. _

Lena frowned in the mirror at where the tiny dragon was clinging to her hair, trying to set it on fire. “Brat.”

It made a soft huffing sound, biting at her braid. 

“I know you understand me. Stop that.”

_ “Snake.” _ The tiny dragon hissed out, climbing up to the top of her head and then trying to dangle itself down to where it could gnaw on the top of her ear with tiny fangs. _ “Hungry.” _

Riddle’s voice was amused. _ “You’ve already been promoted to ‘snake’. Impressive.” _

_ Quiet, you. _

Tucking in her blouse and moving to tie her tie off in a smooth move, she threw her outer robes over an arm, tucking her socks and shoes in her bag which she then slung over her shoulder. “Fine. I’m going.”

_ “You know you are in a partial state of undress, right?” _

_ Bare feet is not ‘partially undressed’ dear. _ _ This_ _is ‘partially undressed. _

She pushed the memory of the first task at Riddle to distract him, then sighed lightly, addressing the tiny beast still gnawing at her ear. “That hurts. Can you stop it?”

The dragon immediately stopped and as she strode out of her room to the doors of Slytherin, she felt it climbing up her scalp again, this time clutching onto her hair with its back legs as it dangled itself down in front of her face. _ “You do not show pain.” _

“Yes, well I’m unfortunately pretty good at that.”

_ “Wait. You went out in front of the whole school and anyone in the Wizarding World who was watching in the stands- without a shirt?” _

_ Yup. _

_ “I have no words.” _

_ I feel as if that isn’t true. _

Setting her bag down at the table, she pulled out her outer robes and then moved to get her high socks on before slipping into her shoes.

Riddle made a sound of frustration. _ “I have many words I would like to say to you, but I have no __kind_ _words that you would like to hear. Better?” _

_ Sure. _

“Since we’re here, can you get down?” She held up a hand for the dragon, which climbed into it. Sitting down, she started to feed it small strips of bacon. “Would you want to go stay with someone I know who stays with other bigger dragons?”

The tiny dragon paused, looking at her. _ “Big dragons?” _

Viktor and Fleur were watching this curiously, as she knew that the French girl had already given her dragon to her younger sister and Viktor had already asked around about who would be able to take his dragon in.

Lena nodded. “Big dragons.”

Seeming to consider it, the tiny creature nodded. _ “Yes. Snake takes me to human.” _

Scooping up the dragon, she padded across the hall to the Gryffindor table, ignoring the stares as she looked to where an older redhead boy was sitting next to Ron Weasley. “You work with dragons.”

Glancing to his brother who was sneering at her, the elder Weasley’s eyebrows furrowed but he nodded. “Uh- yeah. I’m Charlie Weasley.”

“I know.” She held out the tiny dragon. “Say hello.”

_ “Hello.” _

The boy blinked, eyes wide. “It- did it just-”

“Speak? Yeah. Do you want him? He keeps trying to eat my hair or ears.”

The dragon gave a hissing laugh. _ “Snake tastes good.” _

She scowled at the creature, before looking at the older boy. “See? He’s annoying me to no ends and Charles said you work with dragons so… Do you want him?”

Nodding, still seeming stunned, Charlie Weasley took the dragon carefully- not even blinking when it moved to bite at his fingers. “I-... Thank you… This- I promise I’ll take care of him…” The guy then seemed to snap out of his reverence, looking at her with a wide smile. “Thank you, Miss Farland. Are you sure you want to give him to me?”

“He would do nothing but remind me of another time I had no power but to do what others wanted, so yes. Please, have him.” Then with a sharp nod, she put her hands in the pockets of her outer robes and started back to her table.

Ginny smiled at her when she sat down from the spot beside her. “Next my mom will be sending you sweaters for Christmas, as being friends with more than one Weasley makes you family.”

She shook her head, but let the girl tuck herself under her arm. “Only if they’re in black or green. And no tacky letters.”

The girl laughed softly. “So… bright pink with a big ‘L’?”

“I would _ burn _it.”

This only made the redhead snicker more.

_ "I think you would look lovely in whatever you were to wear." _

_ Socks and flip-flops it is then. _

Riddle growled lowly. _"Don't make me take that back, because I will."_

She couldn't stop herself from giggling softly, shaking her head when Ginny looked up at her.

Her suggestion for the foreign students to stay in the dorms was finally heard after too many of the french students complained about the weather, and as the students were allowed to choose, Fleur, Viktor, and her were all in the Slytherin dorms.

(Cedric just abused his privileges as a prefect to join them in their after-dinner talks.)

Lena had gone down to the kitchen for her semi-monthly talk to the elves and praise of their service, returning to the Common Room with a quiet hiss to open the door and arms laden with trays of food the elves had insisted upon giving to her.

“-but really, why would she got to the Yule Ball with- with someone like me?” Cedric was pacing the area in front of Viktor and Fleur, who both looked highly amused about something. “She’s way out of my league!”

“Personally I think that such ways of speaking are negative and you just need a bit of chocolate... perhaps with fire-whiskey in it.” Lena moved past the startled boy easily, laying out the trays with the grace of a waitress who was used to keeping trays balanced. 

Cedric sounded mortified, his face a bit red. “Lena! I- uh- I didn’t see you there!”

_ “Yes, because you are an idiot with no spacial awareness.” _

Riddle didn’t seem to like Cedric much.

Lena refrained from rolling her eyes.

_ Please don’t insult my friends. _

Once the food was laid out and starting to get taken by the snakes, she turned to the other three. “I was just talking to the elves. What’s all this about a ball?” 

Viktor leaned forward with a smirk. “The Yule Ball. It is dancing and music. Champions are required on getting a partner for the first dance.” The boy glanced at Cedric, smirk turning into an outright grin. “Pretty boy wants to ask-”

Silencing the Bulgarian, Cedric turned even redder. “No one! I wasn’t going to ask anyone!”

_ “Sure he wasn’t.” _

“It’s alright to be embarrassed.” Lena grabbed one of the mugs of apple cider, another replacing it, and went to take Cedric’s hand with a small smile. “I’m sure that whoever you ask will be more than happy to have you as your date, as you’re really a sweet guy Ced.” Then letting go of his hand, she moved to sink into her armchair by the fire.

_ “Break my heart, why don’t you?” _

_ That wasn’t in the plan, handsome, but if you want me to... _

Daphne raised a brow at her from where she and Theo were cuddling. “And have you thought about who you want to go with?”

In fact, no, she hadn’t even known about the damned event, but now it was looming over her head like a vampire waiting to strike. 

_ “Don’t you wish I had a body right about now.” _

_ I do, dear. I do… _

Hiding her smile at the briefly stunned feeling she got in response, she looked back up to the girl with a sly half-smile. “I had an idea… but I fear that choice of mine might be a bit hard to achieve without a bit more preparation…”

Riddle snorted. _ “I am a busy man, after all.” _

She grinned, mimicking the words. “He is very busy, after all.” 

_ Very busy running a commentary in my head, you slippery snake you. _

“Oooooh?” Daphne’s eyes sparkled, Ginny and Fleur also smirking as the three girls all leaned in. “And who has ensnared the eyes of our lovely Ice Queen? Someone in our grade? Younger?”

Hestia leaned into their conversation, eyes mirthful. “I bet it's someone older, with how mature our Queenie is.”

_ What do I say to that? Disembodied spirit? _

Riddle didn’t answer, just snorting slightly.

Humming softly, she brushed her fingers across the locket around her neck, feeling it vibrate in response slightly as if purring, and she couldn’t fight off her slightly fond smile. “I would say it depends on the day, as he can hold a conversation well some days… and then others he acts like some sappy Hufflepuff.”

_ “That is the meanest thing anyone has ever said to me.” _

Giggling softly, she waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “But I can’t ask him to the Ball, so I’ll probably just ask Moody.”

“Moody?!” Ginny half shrieked, half the people around the room choking on their food or drink.

“Well yes, he’s my coach is he not? Plus, his paranoia is quite humorous. The other day he cursed a cookie I tried to give him because he thought it looked a bit off-color.” Then she tilted her head. “Though I suppose as ice skating’s off this year I should ask Dumbledore if he wishes to have a dance instead, as I would like to talk to him about taking a few more of my NEWTs next year.”

_ “You are killing me. Slowly.” _

Ginny sputtered. “What? No! You’re supposed to take someone you’re attracted to! Like a date.”

Lena took a long sip of her drink. “Oh.”

_ I don’t understand... How do I tell if I am attracted to someone? _

_ “Usually by physical reaction. Feeling warm, getting nervous, wanting to be around them all the time… it differs between people, I find.” _

She blinked slowly, looking down at her cup.

_ I haven’t felt that with anyone but you… although I have most of those reactions to Janus or Blaise, maybe even Cedric. Without the nervousness most of the time, of course. _

Riddle’s voice was soft, but there was an edge behind it. _ “That might just be friendship then, sweet one.” _

_ Oh… Okay. _

“-ena?” She looked up to find Blaise was standing over her, a hand on her shoulder. His eyes fixed on where she was gripping the locket, a frown tugging at his lips. “You spaced out there for a moment... You okay?”

“Yeah.” Putting her hand over his on her shoulder for a second, she then stood up, looking to him with a slight smile. “Don’t worry Zucchini, I’d tell you if I was in danger. No, I was just puzzling over what being attracted to someone feels like, as I believe I suppress those types of emotions more often than not.” 

The boy nodded slowly, watching her tuck the locket away. “Well, you _ are _the Ice Queen.”

Humming softly, she turned towards the door to the common room. “Excuse me, I have someone to talk to.”

“I have a question.” Lena stood in the doorway of the office where she’d slipped through the wards easily, looking at where a younger man in Moody’s chair jolted and pointed Moody’s wand at her, eyes wide.

“You scared me half to hell- Merlin, Lena, you’re going to get yourself hexed one day sneaking up on people like that…” Settling back down in the chair, the Moody impostor looked at her as if she was juggling kittens on a unicycle. “What in Rowena’s name are you doing here this late?”

Lena shrugged. “Curiosity… and I have a question. One that the spirit currently possessing me can’t answer well enough.” Ignoring his look, she curled up in the chair across the desk from him. “What’s it like to be attracted to someone?”

The man sneered slightly. “Go away, kid. It’s not the time for stupid questions.”

“Is it stupid if I honestly don’t know?” She sighed when he only stared at her, shaking her head as she stood up. “Nevermind. I forgot that emotions aren’t included in the summoning ritual for Death Eaters. I’ll ask someone who _isn't_ a psychopath.”

Whatever-his-name-was stood, but she was already out the door and down the hall, headed for the iced-over lake. 

_ “This is upsetting you more than I thought it would.” _

“I can’t-... how can I be human if I don’t even know my own emotions?”

Riddle paused for a moment. _ “Must you trouble yourself with this? How about you give the locket to a weak Gryffindor and I’ll possess them for a night so we can dance? It would be much easier than asking anyone else.” _

She pursed her lips slightly, pulling on her skates. “I’ll probably end up asking Cedric, though maybe I’ll consider letting you possess a muggle so we can dance... later.” 

The boy huffed, leaving her to ice skate in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Breaking News: abused child is bad with emotions (shocking)  
~  
My headcanon is that dragons can speak to everyone- neither Lena nor the dragon were speaking parseltongue- it's just that full-grown dragons are usually put under potions that dumb them down because without it they're super smart and usually more than a bit cruel  
(also yes, Tom is like a dragon with Lena being his 'treasure')  
^-^  
Does anyone have an idea to the four clues?


	26. Why Not Dance The Night Away?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cedric! Dancing! Ice skating! Drama! More Tom! Lily Potter!  
~  
Where I live is currently buried under snow and I- a sweet summer child- am slowly dying.  
So, with all that /wonderful/ seasonal depression in the air... this chapter's a bit late.  
Oops.

“Will you go to-”

“Sorry, I already have someone in mind for the ball.” Lena gave a soft smile that was slowly getting less soft with every rejection she gave (and got). 

Moody had laughed at her, Severus told her he didn’t have the time for such nonsense, Dumbledore just said he wasn’t allowed to go with her, and Janus winced (which told her he was reluctantly saying no).

Finally, she got through the crowd to the head of the Slytherin table. 

Surprisingly it was all other houses asking her, as none of the Slytherins even tried to approach her about anything more than normal homework questions and dancing tips. It had gotten around that she was good at dancing- when in reality all of her skill had come from asking Draco for help, her excellent balance, and a knack for remembering things.

Draco was going with Charles (to _everyone’s _surprise), Daphne with Theo, Viktor with Hermione, Fleur with Luna, so only Blaise and Cedric didn’t have dates.

Lena sighed as she sat down, leaning into where Cedric had decided to sit with them, feeling a bit better when he put his arm around her. “I can only think of three people I find attractive and none of them are the people hounding me for a date. Not to mention Professor Babbling now wants me to try to go for my Runes Mastery next year… I think I might need to plead to Dumbledore about skipping the Yule Ball, if just for my sanity.”

“How about this?” Pushing her back slightly, Cedric moved to stand, looking down at her with a smirk when the hall seemed to quiet down.

She blinked, before sending him a quizzical look.

“Lena Farland… will you go with me to the Yule Ball?”

_ “Say no.” _

_ Quiet in the peanut gallery. _

She took his offered hand, standing up next to him. “I will, Cedric Diggory.” Then a whole flock of owls flew overhead and showered their surrounding area in rose petals. She giggled, and they both laughed together. “You’re- you’re such a sap.”

_ “Gross.” _Riddle pouted.

"Was it okay?" Cedric's voice had lowered, sounding slightly embarrassed.

She smiled reassuringly. "It was lovely." She reached a hand up to take a flower petal from his hair, letting it fall to the floor with her lips tugging up into a smile. "You set this all up?"

The boy smiled, embarrassed, and looked to where Fleur was sitting with her arm around Luna. "I had a bit of help."

Fleur winked and Luna smiling serenely.

"Good thing my mother found that dress for you," Blaise looked to Diggory with something dark in his eyes even as he smiled, "as it's easy to match silver with black dress robes."

Cedric smiled in relief but Lena blinked at the Italian boy. “What- wait you knew about the tournament?”

“Of course he did.” Draco rolled his eyes, but there was a smirk hiding on his lips. “His new step-father is- well- _ was _working in the International Communications in the Ministry. Tragic, his untimely disappearance right before the start of the school year though...”

Blaise just gave her a grin that said as much as she needed to know.

She hummed, turning back to her lunch. “I knew I liked your mom for a reason other than her pet lion.”

The Slytherins took the day off to relax in the Common Room before the Ball, but when a timer went off for three hours till all the girls seemed to start heading for the stairs in groups. Lena was dragged away from her jeans and hot chocolate by Ginny (who had ended up being asked by Blaise), Fleur, and Daphne.

She mostly helped with the other’s hair, as hers was going to be left to fall down her shoulders in soft waves as she’d had braids in all day, and then Daphne taught them charms to apply basic makeup charms.

Finally putting on her dress, having Ginny stolen by her other friends, she and the others talked about frivolous and silly things until Daphne clapped her hands and made them get their shoes on. Showing them spells to balance the high-heels better and to prevent blisters, the girl stopped her from leaving. “You’re forgetting something.” 

Lena blinked. “What?”

“Well, first that locket- it clashes with your dress- and also… this.” The black and green crown was handed to her. “You _are_ the Queen. Plus, you can make a temporary gold and black one for Cedric”

Huffing she took the crown, putting it on, and then doing a low-level sticking charm to her hair, charming it against summoning or tampering. “Yes alright. But the locket-”

Daphne cut her off. “Has to go!~” Reaching for the locket, the girl jolted back, frowning. “It shocked me!”

_ “Of course I did, insolent girl.” _

“Daph, it’s not something I want to take off, even for this.”

The girl pouted. “Pleaseeeee Lena? You’d look perfect without it!”

_ "Don't you dare." _

_ Hey, darling, I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll put you back on as soon as I get back to the room. _

_ “What? No! Don’t take me off! What if that boy gets ideas in his head abo-” _

Shaking her head slightly, she took the locket off and carefully put it in the locked compartment of her trunk, standing. “Alright. Can we go now?”

Nodding with a wide grin, Daphne dragged her down through the mostly-empty common room, Theo waiting for them. He smiled at her. “You look lovely Lena, and Daphne… you made the stars weep you’re so beautiful, I think that my heart might just-”

“Where’s Cedric?” She cut him off before they got lost in each other’s eyes or something.

“Uh- right. He went down to wait with Viktor for Hermione.”

Nodding and leaving quickly, hearing the poetry start back up, she shivered slightly at the cold of the dungeons against her exposed back and moved towards the main staircase. Spotting Cedric though the few mingling students left, she smiled brightly and moved to his side slipping her arm into his. “Ready to dance?” 

Looking at her with wide eyes, the boy blinked a few times. “Lena… You look _ beautiful_.” 

Flushing slightly at his unusually stunned gaze, she had to force herself not to look away from his gaze. “Daphne's fault.”

“I’ll have to get her a box of chocolates then.” Grinning at her in the fond way of his, he held out his arm, noticing that Viktor and Hermione had shown. 

She quickly transfigured a golden crown for him, setting it on his head before taking his arm. "There. Perfect."

Cedric smiled cheekily. “Are you ready to dance the night away with me, dear?”

_ How wrong that pet name sounded from his lips. _

Ignoring the way her insides twisted at that thought, she nodded and took his arm, both gliding over to where McGonagall was hurriedly trying to get them in line. “Oh- Miss Farland, Mr. Diggory- are you two allowed to be wearing those crowns?”

Lena smiled at the teacher. “It is a tradition of the Slytherin house for the Royalty to wear when a Yule Ball is hosted apparently and I didn't want my date to feel left out.” 

_ Or, well, they were now, according to her being the heir and making shit up as she went. _

The woman seemed to accept this, nodding and opening the doors.

“You’re just waiting until we can leave, aren’t you?” Cedric smiled at her as they walked after the rest of the couples, his voice a conspiratorial whisper. 

“Well I’ve never ice skated a dress before and I know a bunch of warming charms.” Her voice was barely audible, but she shared a smile with him and they both took to dancing, moving together easily after the first few off-beat steps. “And honestly, I would rather not dance with every teenage boy in this room that's ego won't let them take no for an answer.”

When Cedric was supposed to lift her into the air briefly, he took her waist and lifted her into the air much higher than she expected, startling laughter out of her. 

“I wouldn't let that happen.” Setting her down lightly, the boy smiled. “Janus- your older friend- is here, same with Draco, Blaise, and Viktor… plus, I think that a few teachers might even dance with you.” 

She beamed at him. “You planned this out.”

Cedric gave her a wink. “Perhaps.” The boy spun her out and she was caught in Blaise's arms, Ginny dancing away with Cedric easily.

“You look wonderful Lena.” Blaise's smile was soft and familiar, but his hands weren’t as warm as-

_ Get a grip, Farland, and stop comparing everyone to Riddle. _ ** _Now _**_who’s obsessed? _

She danced with what seemed like half of Slytherin, then half the teachers (Moody and her dancing was like an ongoing trainwreck and she got the sense that the only reason no one stopped them was that she couldn't stop laughing), before finally, Cedric caught back up to her and they moved outside towards the lake.

Transfiguring her heels to skates, Lena smiled at Cedric, bowing slightly. “May I have this dance, Diggory?”

“Certainly, Farland.”

They both wrinkled their noses at each other, before chuckling together and starting to skate across the frozen lake, which she found the older boy was quite good at.

  
  


Moving to stand by Barty Jr, Tom watched the girl with hair like ink laugh as she skated across the lake with the boy- Diggory. “Are they close?”

Barty glanced at him, seeing through his glamour easily with the magical eye. He knew that Dumbledore knew he was here too, but surprisingly the old man had just eyed him warily before moving to dance with Lena. However, the man that was one of his closest advisors seemed reluctant to tell him anything about the girl, much to his irritation. “Diggory and her… are unlikely to be more than friends.”

“And Zabini?”

He knew that Barty was studying him. "They know each other like the back of their hands, but I believe she does not fully understand the extent of his feelings for her. However… I am to believe that she would seek retribution against whoever hurt her friends, no matter what house, and no matter _ who _you are.” 

“I see…” Tucking his hands in his pocket, he smiled thinly at the man. “Keep up the good work Barty. I will be back for the second task… not that the first one wasn’t wholly _engaging. _” Turning, he walked towards the edge of the wards, eyes following the girl whose dress glittered in the light she’d made and fanned out around her as the boy spun her on the ice.

_ He wouldn’t mind seeing her dressed in such finery and jewels every day of his life… _

_ But for now, he would be patient. _

  
  


Cedric and she had split after he had (admittedly, very nicely) asked if he could kiss her, and she had stopped him, telling him that maybe she had misled him, but that he was like a brother to her. He’d looked a bit forlorn as he turned away, but she couldn’t find the will to go after him, instead sighing and turning her eyes around the hall as if to look for someone she knew.

And find someone she did.

Hermione Granger was sitting on the stairs, crying softly.

Lena moved over to her, taking off her crown and setting it on the girl’s head. “Come on then- princesses don’t cry...” She held out her hand with a slight smile. “Dance with me? I have yet to dance with a beautiful girl this eve, just handsome boys.”

The girl sniffed, wiping her eyes. “You- you want to dance? With me?”

“Who wouldn’t? You’re stunning in that dress, not that it's anything less than usual.” She helped the girl up, gesturing to the pale blue dress the girl was wearing. “Come on, dance with me for a while and forget who we are? Tonight you can be the Queen of Slytherin and I’ll just be another Gryffindor.”

Giggling, the girl smiled wobbly, taking her hand. “I wouldn’t be a very good Queen.”

She snorted. “Welcome to the club. I swear, the only reason none of the others try to challenge me is not because of my magic, but because I supply them with chocolate and get along with the elves.”

“Oh! Would you want to join my club to free the elves?” 

Lena raised an eyebrow, starting to dance with the girl. “You have people following you on that?”

Hermione flushed lightly. “Well… no.”

“That’s because elves survive by being bound to a witch or wizard. They are made from magic, but without a core to stabilize it themselves. They were exceedingly rare way back when, usually called sprites or brownies, but since they’ve bonded with wizards their species has flourished.” At the girl’s small frown, she smiled softly and twirled her around. “I am not saying that some more _warped _families should be allowed to take in elves and abuse them, but I am saying if you’re looking to talk about their rights, you’re going about it the wrong way. Maybe instead of freeing them, you should focus more on making laws against their abuse.”

“I… never thought about it like that.” 

Talking into the night about the Ministry and its failing of magical creatures, they split at the end of the night, thanking each other for the engaging conversation.

Humming as she made her way into the Common Room, she saw Blaise looking into the fire at something dancing with light among the flames.

Lena froze.

A gold locket was in the fire.

“NO!” Running forward, she fell to her knees, her magic curling around the locket in a shield and she lifted it out of the flames, gently setting it on the floor. “Why… why would you-”

There was no emotion in the boy’s voice, eyes cold as ice. “It’s not right, Lena. You know that. Whatever it was, it was changing you.” 

"Lena?" Ginny rushed over, spying the locket and paling slightly. “Oh, I’m so sorry- I didn’t know he wanted- I didn’t mean to-”

“You used her to open my trunk, didn't you?... Because she probably still remembers a few words and I bet ‘open’ is one of them. And then… and then what? You decide to take the one thing I covet enough to protect like that and just- just throw_ it in the fire? _ _”_

Letting the locket cool, she touched it with her other hand and gave a soft sigh of relief when if pulsed as if angry against her hand, but seemed to settle at her touch. 

The boy looked a bit lost. “It was distorting your thoughts and-”

"Stop." Lena frowned up at the boy. “I would like it if you look me in the eyes and_ truthfully_ explain your actions. You're so dear to me- you should have known how tightly I grip what is mine. How could you not think I would be upset at you trying to destroy what I protect?”

Violet eyes looking up to meet hers, she skimmed her surface thoughts without trouble, sensing nothing but guilt and shame. 

Blaise looked away from her eyes. “I… I have no excuse for my actions. I thought that maybe the locket was possessing you like- like the other object did to Ginny. I thought that-... that I might lose you.”

Lena turned to look at the fire, slowly standing, locked clasped in her hand tightly. Reminding herself to breathe, she let all of her anger out in a long sigh- the fire raging up for a second with the wave of magic she let go of. “The memory of someone I hold in the highest respect is in this locket. And other than this, there is one more- One more memory made and I don’t know where it is… If I had lost this...”

“S- sorry…” His whisper was soft.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded slowly. “I forgive you.”

“You- you what?” He looked up, wide-eyed with surprise.

“I forgive you.” She looked up, smiling thinly at him. “Because you are mine and will always be so. Because even in pain it is my duty to watch over you…" Her smile was soft with a sharpness behind it, pulling the boy into her arms, letting him wrap himself around her. "And because the guilt of being forgiven will suffocate you until you accept that you will not ever try to betray me like this again.”

He shook, seeming to melt into her as he sobbed silently. “I- I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean- I’m so so so sorry Lena.”

“I know… and it’s alright. You are forgiven in my eyes and the eyes of my house. You were just merely misguided and I understand your worry for me.” Slowly the boy calmed and she waved Draco to guide him to his seat, before looking out on her House of Snakes that had assembled to watch the conflict. “I cannot say that I know what love is, or exactly how to feel it, but I know protection and all of you are under my protection. That means I will forgive you. Not for everything and don’t you think for a second that you are above my wrath because of this, but I will try, because I believe that everyone deserves that.”

Ginny was the first to hug her and then the room came together in a big hug around her.

She laughed softly. “Now go to bed you slippery snakes. It's been a long day and you all should get some rest."

Lena was careful to change the password to her locked compartment to a random phrase in parseltongue, even as she kept the locket close- and thought she'd forgiven Blaise there was still a tiny hit of hesitation on his part whenever she would reach for his hand or go to talk to him.

Cedric had gone back to sitting at the Hufflepuff table and though Charlie had told Draco (who told her) that the older boy wasn't upset, she resigned herself to the wintery month being sort of awkward.

Thank Merlin for Balkan teenage boys.

Viktor had seen her slightly sullen mood, working with his whole posse of troublemakers to sneak fire-whiskey into the Common Room, starting up house-wide drinking games and (accidentally) putting on a production of some drunken Opera that had everyone in fits of laughter.

However, her January came to a peak when she had gone to take a day with Janus out at Hogsmeade to catch up and found Lily Potter standing with Dumbledore awkwardly.

She blinked slowly. "You want to _what_?"

"I would like to get to know you." The red-haired woman glanced at the Headmaster as if unsure, then looked back to Lena with determination in her green eyes. "I know that you and Sirius had some issues when we all last saw each other, and Remus wasn't sure you'd want to see him, so I asked Albus to come with... Charlie tells me you're close so..."

The old man smiled brightly, eyes twinkling as he set a hand on her shoulder gently, telegraphing his movements so she knew not to flinch back. "My dear girl, Lily does want to get to know you for who you are. She had promised to hold no judgments to your character." 

_"I like her eyes."_

_The ultimate vote of confidence- you like her eyes. Wow. She must be a wonderful person._

Riddle huffed. _"Though her eyes are less pretty than yours."_

_Does that make me more trustworthy? _

_"To me? Or to a normal person? Because no normal person in their right mind should trust that innocent look on your face, but I would anyways."_

_I really don't know what to say to that._

_"You're welcome."_

Realizing that she'd been frowning at the two adults for a while, she sighed and looked to Janus. "We will get to Hogsmeade eventually. Or I will make Severus wear all pink and belly-dance in the Great Hall."

The older boy laughed softly, patting her head with a fond smile. "That... I'll have to clear up my schedule to make sure you don't _ever_ make that happen, as I'm pretty sure Theo's eyes would explode and Daphne would never forgive you." 

Lena's lips quirked up, watching Janus walk away before sighing and looking to Lily Potter. "Where are you kidnapping me to then?"

"If this was a kidnapping we wouldn't tell you we are headed to-"

"It's a surprise." The woman smiled as if that was the most exciting thing in the world and Lena was a child, walking out the front doors as if expecting them to follow.

She looked at Dumbledore, who was frowning slightly at Lily's back. "If she kills us, I'm going to tell the devil to send me back so I can resurrect you and kill you myself for making me feel as if this was safe."

The old man nodded and his frown lessened slightly when he looked to her. "I believe that's fair." Holding out his arm, he smiled. "Help out an old man?"

"Only because I'm plotting your murder and need more data." Lena hooked arms with him and they walked in comfortable silence following the red-headed woman. 

They finally stopped at a familiar chocolate shop, Dumbledore winking down at her when she raised an eyebrow at him. 

Lily Potter entered the small shop, sitting at a table and waiting until they did the same. "I found this place because Charlie's obsessed with the caramel chocolates here and he wanted some for his birthday party this summer- he told me that you like chocolate and I thought you might like it here, as it's a pretty new place and-"

"Lena!" The shop owner, master chef, and former Slytherin- Marie Meyza- moved to pull her up into a big hug. "I told Isaiah he was being mopey when he said you'd forgotten about us down here! You've been in the papers with all that horrible tournament stuff and he thought you'd be down here to get your share of chocolate the second you were entered!"

"I was afraid that if I came down here I'd be threatened into talking half the shop." She grinned up at the woman. "After all, I had planned to come here with Janus today before my plans were changed."

Isaiah Duval padded over to where his wife was smothering her, raising an eyebrow. "Ah. Our ever so busy Lady Lena has returned," he eyed the two adults with her and sneered just slightly, "and with poor taste in company too."

Dumbledore chuckled merrily. "Isaiah, my boy-"

The former Ravenclaw's eyes were sharp when he looked at the Headmaster. "For the last time- Just because you are old does not mean you get a discount." Then with a huff, he stalked off.

"He's in a good mood." Lena's lips quirked up slightly.

_"That didn't seem like a good mood to me."_

_Ah, well that's just Isaiah for you._

Marie grinned and then patted her head, finally releasing her. "It's good to see you. Let me know if you need anything."

When Lena sat down she was met with a small frown from the woman sitting across from her. "You already knew about this place?"

"Lily." Dumbledore's sigh was small, even if his eyes were still twinkling. "If you had listened to me when I tried to explain- Lena was the one who found Marie and Isaiah the building space, setting them up with a small starting fund and getting them the review of a highly acclaimed critic... She already knew of this delightful shop because she was the one who put it here."

The woman gaped at her. "But- you- that's not..."

"You know, it's not very nice to say that you will hold no judgments to someone's character and then blatantly go against your word." Standing, she nodded to Dumbledore. "And with all that lovely time talking on the way down and the refreshing air on non-judgment- I am going to go my second favorite place in Hogsmede- _The Hog's Head._"

"But- but that's where-" Lily looked to Dumbledore as if he would back her up. "That's a bar for dark wizards!"

Lena saw both Marie and Isaiah stiffen from out of the corner of her eye, as they had been part of the houses of the 'dark' before Lena had come along and put a no-tolerance policy on that type of nonsense, her magic building under her skin in response.

However, Dumbledore stood before she could do anything, eyes a flat blue with an unimpressed curl to his lips. "My brother owns that bar. Are you implying that my younger brother is worth anything less than you are? Because if so, I think you might have listened to intently to James' war-mongering ideals. I understand that when fighting the last war there were two sides, but the war was ended and there should no longer be this type of discrimination put on those not even involved. Perhaps you, Sirius, and Remus should step outside your bubble and understand that there is no right side to war. It is just that. War."

Setting a hand on the old Headmaster's arm, she sent a small pain-relief spell through her hand, knowing that his intimidatingly straight posture would have him frowning by the time they started to walk back. "Come on, Gramps. Abe's probably wondering where I am."

"Your usual." Marie moved over, holding out a bag with a small smile to Dumbledore. "With a few extra lemons for the old man."

"Thanks, Marie." Then with a tug to the purple and blue robes (which were surprisingly not exceedingly horrible today) of the wizened man, they started to trudge towards The Hog's Head

_"She irks you, doesn't she?"_

_You could say that._

_"Well, let me say, I was wrong about her... Maybe green eyes are a built-in warning sign for others to stay away from the beautiful females that have them."_

_Oh really? And would you comply with that warning?_

Riddle chuckled lowly. _"Maybe with others, but with you? Never. I invite you to do your worst to me, darling, as that's exactly what I want."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blaise made a mistake, yes, but then again he is fourteen and Lena was his first friend so he has a right to be worried for her.  
For some reason, all the Potters (except Charlie) seem to not want to be written as people who would accept something outside their cookie-cutter expectations. *sighs* Tragic.  
I need to sleep, but the next chapter is the second task!!!


	27. Why Not Dream Of Dark-haired Teenage Boys?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a winter wonderland here and I /hate/ it  
Anyway, who wants some answers about Jack?  
^-^ ^-^ ^-^  
Also- WARNING: minor character death and implied/referenced child abuse  
(please be safe lovelies and read at your own risk)

There was a white chair in the middle of the Great Hall, clear pieces of glass floating above it in a circle. Lena took note of this and the layout of the large stands around the edges of the expanded Great Hall with the judges' table up at the very front where the white chair was facing. Walking through the tables of people, she followed Fluer and the others up to stand in the space next to the white chair.

“Hello everyone!" Ludo Bagman, with his usual wide toothy smile, stepped down from the platform at the head of the Hall with his wand amplifying his voice. "Today is the day of the second task, a task of mental and emotional ability!” 

Viktor elbowed her and she raised an eyebrow at him, unamused, as the other champions smiling at her teasingly. 

_ Sure. Make fun of the emotionally handicapped. _

_ "Light teasing darling. I am sure if you really felt offended they would be living on spare time." _

Lena snorted softly, but she couldn't really find a good response to Riddle's faith in her unrelenting wrath.

Bagman continued. “Each champion, in the order of their riddle, will be given a potion that will then put them in a dreamscape! This dream will contain four elements, four emotions that are the answer to the clues given. Champions?”

They had talked over the riddles extensively before finally coming to the solid conclusion that they were emotions, though how that would translate to the actual task none of them had any idea.

Fleur spoke up, her voice soft yet echoing through the hall. “Sadness, fear, love, and happiness.”

Nodding excitedly, Bagman clapped slightly. “Exactly! You will have to face your worst and be able to leave your best! But I assure you, should you need to get out of the dreamscape, there will be a red button in the dream that if pressed will immediately have our healers administering the antidote! If pressed, you will lose points, same with staying in a room longer than ten minutes. The glass panels, of course, will also show us the dreamscape from an outside perspective and project any sound made so we can see what you're going through! Now first up is Viktor Krum!”

_ This should be fun… _

Riddle snorted. _ “Should I be worried?” _

_ Depends. Probably not. _

_ “Color me worried then.” _

Viktor's first room was a child's bedroom made up of pinks and purples, and Fleur leaned over to softly tell her that the boy's younger sister had died when they were young because of dragon pox. The second room was of a man (assumedly his father) yelling at him that he would never amount to anything because of his grades, the third of a woman that he called 'baba' and the fourth... was the Slytherin Common Room with her, Fleur, Cedric, the Court, and the Durmstang boys all sitting around the fire with butterbeer and wide smiles as they talked aimlessly.

She could almost understand why he passed his time limit by five minutes before his mental version of herself turned to him with a small but fond smile and told him that he knew that he had to go and that they'd be there when he opened up his eyes.

When he did, well Viktor had himself to blame when they all gave him long hugs.

If Lena had expected something out of Cedric's dreams, she was not expecting his first room to be of her in the silvery dress and crown with sad eyes, telling him gently that they were nothing more than friends.

_ Well... it was a fresh rejection. _

_ "Weak." _

_ Dear, what did I say about insulting my friends? _

_ "...Not to." _ Riddle sighed. _"He... has a point. I too would be distraught should I not have you by my side."_

_ Good thing you will never have to know that feeling. _

She smiled at the Locket's pulse of fondness, tuning back into where Cedric was confronting his father's unrealistic expectations, talking with his mother that she knew had died when he was young, and... yet again she and the other champions were on the screen but this time they were all in what she assumed was the Hufflepuff Common Room, as Charlie and his friends were also there, along with most of the Court. The other version of her was leaning against Cedric, smiling widely as she laughed at stupid jokes she wouldn't usually.

Cedric got hugs from the other two and a small smile from her before Fluer reached over to squeeze Lena's hand, laying down in the chair and taking the potion that would put her under.

The French girl found immense sadness in her parents demanding she finds an eligible suitor to form a marriage contract with by the time she graduated, she held a large amount of fear of something happening to her sister, and (unsurprisingly) her room for 'love' was a table with her family sitting around a table- only by the older girl's side was the small figure of Luna Lovegood.

_ Cute. _

_ "I reluctantly have to agree. They would be a good marriage match." _

Lena let her lips quirk up slightly at the awkward phrasing, but let it go, watching as Fleur danced with Luna under falling cherry petals for longer than the time limit.

They were all young, but she had faith in them.

Lena was the last to go up, laying back in the chair that reminded her of the dentist's chair that Matron was obligated to get them in at least once a year and hoping that after this her friends would be able to look at her.

The rules were simple. 

She just had to get through all four rooms without hitting the button or staying too long.

Taking the offered glass of purple liquid, she looked to where Dumbledore gave her a small nod and then knocked the potion back like a shot of Jack’s whiskey, feeling something strange come over her body as she laid back and closed her eyes.

Feeling as if she’d just woken up, she blinked, seeing a familiar low-hanging ceiling and slightly dirty walls encasing her. She was in a small cot with a ratty blanket thrown over her that was pressed into a small alcove in a single room shack that was so very familiar.

Lena knew every single piece of furniture in this cottage, every crack in the brick walls, the proper place for every item.

Her voice was a whisper. “Jack...” Looking over to where the older man's bed was across the room, she suddenly got a strong sense of deja vu, swinging her legs over the side of the cot and getting up. “Jack?” 

Forcing herself to move one step at a time, she saw that the kitchen had been upended and that the figure on the bed had a pillow over its head. Stopping short when she recognized the scene, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 

Her voice was soft in the silent night. “Just- it’s just in your mind Lena. You know this and you already- you saw it anyway… it can’t be any worse the second time…” Clutching at her dog tags around her neck, she took one shaky step after another, taking hold of the pillow that she now saw had a hole in it and forced herself to count down so she would actually do it. “3… 2…”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

Lena jolted, looking over at where Riddle was sitting lazily on the only chair that hadn't been knocked over, watching her intently with dark brown eyes. He raised her hand and waved his fingers mockingly as she hissed lowly as if a startled cat. “What the hell? Why are _ you _here?”

The boy shrugged fluidly. “You tell me. This is your mind or dream or whatever.”

“Just- just be quiet then and I’ll ignore you like usual.”

The boy huffed. “Rude.”

Ignoring him, she pulled off the pillow and closed her eyes, turning away almost immediately, trying not to throw up.

Jack was laying there- probably having been asleep- and someone had come in, pressed a pillow to his head, and shot him. 

All for some food and a few pounds. 

And they’d completely missed Lena sleeping in the far nook of the room.

The smell of blood hit her and she let the pillow drop to her side limply. “He said he wouldn’t die until I turned eleven. He promised.” Her voice was hollow as she stumbled back from the sight to sit on the small cot heavily, staring at the bloody figure. 

“That wasn’t a promise he could keep, dearest, and you know that.” But even still, the boy put a hand on her shoulder, lightly squeezing. “Now you should move on.”

Nodding sort of numbly, she laid back on the cot...

Lena found herself laying on a familiar pier. 

Trying to push herself up, she found her hands and legs had been tied, breath coming out faster as she tried to get out or make her magic surge up or something. Then her eyes landed on a red button and a figure who was leaning against a tree with a dark frown.

_ Oh… Right. _

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she laid back and looked up at the sky, voice soft. “It’s not real. It’s a dream… They’re not real.” But she could still hear the footsteps coming down the pier and glared at where three looming boys stood over her. “Untie me.”

“Look boys, the _freak_ wants out!” The leader, Greg sneered, spitting at her and she flinched back. “You know what happens to monsters like you, _ freak_?”

“We get the best jobs?” She sneered at them.

A hand hit her across the face, leaving her blinking away a slight daze, ears ringing. Samuel scoffed, looking at her in utter disgust. “Like you’d be able to do anything right. I heard Matron- she said it would have been better if you died instead of that old man!”

Lena looked over to where Tom was, her eyes pleading. “Tom- Tom, come on- Please-”

But the boy just grimaced as if in pain, looking away, his lips moving to shape a single word. _ Sorry. _

“Awww is the freak _ afraid of a little water _?”

Another of the boys laughed. “She’s a witch anyway and witches get _drowned. _”

“Tom...” Her voice was a pained whisper by now, sinking back into a panicked state of acceptance, her head full of white noise and her heart beating out of her chest as she struggled to breathe.

_ This was it. _

_ She was going to drown here. _

_ There was no one coming for her this time. _

Clenching her eyes shut as she felt herself be lifted, she gasped in a breath of air and felt hot tears in her eyes. “No-!”

Then with the malicious laughs ringing in the background, she was enveloped by dark water, eyes opening as she tried to see the surface that was a rippling white light in the distance so far away.

_ Nothing. _

_ Nothing but the inevitability of death. _

Something glinted before her eyes, a familiar ring, but when she tried to reach for it there was nothing there, like some illusion. Then a locket fell through the water and she let out a sob- air bubbles escaping her- at seeing the diadem and familiar diary also slip through her fingers.

_ She had nothing. _

_ Nothing left. _

Closing her eyes, she breathed out all her air, letting the silence surround her.

“Lena- kiddo- you gotta get up or the old hag is gonna try to get at you for more than she already has.” 

Blinking, she looked over, feeling her heart stop beating.

Jack was sitting on a chair, wrinkled face pulled in his signature frown, a cup of what was surely sludge-like coffee in his hands.

Lena sat up slowly. “Jack? How-” She cut herself off, seeing that the room was rearranged. Instead of a door where she knew there should have been, there was a pedestal with a red button and instead of a bookshelf, there was a door. 

Standing, she moved to the out-of-place door.

“Don’t you want to talk to him?” Riddle was leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed, looking at her with an unreadable expression.

Reaching out for the door handle, she paused and pulled her hand back, looking to where the man was reading the newspaper with an empty seat across him. “Jack?” Her voice was small and she felt like a child calling out for their parent.

“What is it now kid? Didn’t I say to sit and eat before that hag gets her paws on you? You really caused a scene this time and she’ll want to take you to the cellar an’ lock you up again- I don’t know for how long this time.” The man lowered his newspaper just a bit to look at her over the top with stern eyes. “Eat before you can’t and I’ll see if I can sneak you some food and a blanket, that is if I don’t just kill that bint for treating you like this.”

Moving, she sat down at the rickety table, staring at the toast and runny jam. “Can I ask you a question?”

Jack huffed. “If you eat something. I’m afraid the next time I get to see you, you’ll be a skeleton, what with your determination to trade all your food for books.” His eyes were amused, but his voice gruff. “‘S not healthy kiddo.”

“Can you-... can you forgive me? For who I became?” Closing her eyes, she tried not to cry, waiting for his usual response where he told her that he didn’t know what she was talking about and then shooed her away.

There was a pause. “You don’t start the fights, Lena, you just end them. I taught you that way so why would I need to forgive you in the first place? You know that I care for you, no matter how many people don’t kiddo.”

Her eyes opened, feeling something settle in her throat. “Thanks, Jack.” Then with a moment of just taking in the small room, she smiled somewhat sadly. “I don’t think I’ll see you again. Not like this at least. I- I think I might forgive you too, for dying on me like that, even though it was _ incredibly _rude.”

She turned for the door, her hand almost touching it.

“What did she do to you- after I died?”

Lena’s laugh was soft but held no humor. “She blamed me, I blamed myself, then she did her best to kill me… and I never tried to stop her.”

Then without waiting for a response, she pulled open the door and stepped through.

A white room met her, a fireplace on the far wall with two chairs and a small table sitting there. A familiar boy with styled hair and deep brown eyes was sitting in one chair, two mugs on the table. “Seems like it’s just us now... Come, sit with me.” 

“Why? You probably poisoned my hot chocolate, you psycho.” She still sat though, after a second, chest easing from its tightness at being in the somewhat normal territory.

“And yet you’ll still drink it.” The boy smirked, slow and somewhat smug. “Though I’m sure you’ll think up a thousand ways to poison me back by the time you realize that _ it’s not actually poisoned_.” He huffed as if put out by this.

Lena found herself chuckling despite herself, shrugging. “It’s a talent, sweetheart.”

Rolling his eyes, the boy crossed one leg over the other in the picture of grace. “You say everything bad about yourself is a talent.”

“Then maybe all I have are bad talents.” She smirked, taking a sip of the hot chocolate- only to find he’d given her coffee and she spit it out on the white floor, sputtering as the boy burst into unrestrained laughter. Laughing slightly in surprise as she wiped her mouth, she glared at him teasingly and took a pillow on her chair, throwing it at him. “You- you arse! I trusted you to give me hot chocolate! This is coffee! Treason against the Queen!”

Still laughing, Riddle grinned at her with gleaming white teeth, having blocked the pillow easily. “That’s the job description, isn’t it lovely?” He sipped his own drink that she couldn’t tell what it was. “I’m the Court _ Riddler_.” His amusement at his pun was tangible.

“That was absolutely horrible.”

He pouted slightly, looking strangely like a kicked puppy.

“Okay! It was fine!” She giggled slightly and waved her hand. “Stop it with those eyes- You look ridiculous!”

Riddle just smirked, taking a long drink of his brown liquid.

In a moment of childish inspiration, she climbed over the table, moving to grab for his cup. “Give me that! You owe me!” She must have surprised him into jolting because they ended up soaking his suit with what she could now tell smelled a lot like coffee. She laughed at his stunned face, slumping into the chair on top of him as she giggled madly. “You- haha- you look so _ offended- _hahaha-”

“This is my favorite suit, Lena!” He shoved her out of his space, huffing when she laid on the floor, still giggling. “Insufferable... Why do I put up with you?”

She shrugged, looking up at the white ceiling and letting her smile slowly fade. “Tom?”

The boy hummed, trying to clean up his suit with a handkerchief.

“Why didn’t you save me from those boys?”

He looked at her, lips tightening slightly. “You should know that I’m not actually meant to be here. I’m just a figment of your imagination. I wouldn’t have been able to stop them.” Then he smiled at her teasingly. “Though I’m amused that your place of happiness is a fireplace and some hot chocolate.”

Lena snorted, standing up and moving to lean on the wall next to the fireplace, looking at the white walls of the room. “Well _you’re _here, aren’t you? For now at least... But I was so scared Tom- I almost lost you...”

“I promise, you’ll see me at least one more time." His eyes were intense and yet fond, smiling at her slightly crookedly. "One way or another I’ll get back to you eventually, dear one.”

“Right.” Lena swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “One more time.” Her eyes found his as she moved to stand in front of him, cupping his warm cheek lightly before giving him a crooked smile. “And after that, I’ll just get a cat that meows a lot and has issues with authority and name _him _ Tom. I bet I won’t even notice a difference.”

“Don’t make me bite you, Lena. You’ll never replace me with some _ feline_.” The dark eyes glinted, but his lips were curving slightly with a smile. He moved to press a kiss to her wrist, smirking at her as he did. “Plus, you’ll never find one as good-looking as me.” 

She snorted. “I’ll add vain to the list of requirements.” Then she kissed her hand and slapped him lightly with it, dancing out of the way of his hands when he tried to grab her, giggling at his offended noises. “I gotta go, but I’ll be sure to start looking for that cat!”

“Don’t you _ dare_!”

Stopping at a door in the corner of the room, she looked back to where he had his arms crossed and a pout on his lips, smiling fondly at him. “Don’t worry, Tom… I still owe you that dance, remember?” 

Opening her eyes to the ceiling of the Great Hall, she felt the smile on her face fade to a neutral expression with a light sigh.

_ You’re ridiculous. _

_ “Excuse me, I am perfect.” _

She knew Riddle was smirking. She could _hear _it. 

“Miss Farland, you were the second most successful in getting through your rooms in a timely manner so your points are-”

Sitting up, she cast a glare at the judges. “Didn’t I tell you I don’t care?” 

“You seemed to react strongly to the potion, as your dreams were certainly much more… vibrant.” Dumbledore smiled at her softly. “Though I’m sorry you had to go through that with Jack, I must say I am most surprised by the other companion in your dreamscape.”

“Whoever that was- he wasn’t allowed to interfere!” Barty Crouch had stood, scowling.

Swinging her legs over the side of the chair, she stood, frowning slightly at the man. “He is a figment of my imagination, Mr. Crouch. Unless you wish to ban me from using my unique coping strategies to having to live through what you just saw and so much more, you don’t have a say in what my brain does and therefore I don’t give a single _fuck_ what you think.”

The man turned red, turning to the healers that had administered the potion and were watching her vitals. “Is this true?!”

“Mr. Crouch…” One of the women stepped forward, glancing at her. “The boy- he seemed to be part of her, if not a memory then some type of- of imaginary friend.”

_ “I am insulted.” _

Covering her small chuckle, she smoothed her expression out and then looked to where Dumbledore was smiling at her. The old wizard winked. “Tom, right?”

_ “Don’t you dare-” _

Lena licked her lips to hide her mirth. “Yeah. Tom. He’s _such _a _ sweetheart. _”

_ “I will fight you.” _

_ Do it, darling. _

Barty Crouch cleared his throat, glaring at her harder if it was possible. “Yes, well as that concludes the last of the second task, Champions, please head to Madame Pomfrey to make sure that no one has any lingering side effects from the potion.”

Spotting Pomfrey, she saluted Crouch mockingly before stalking towards the exit of the Great Hall, eyes catching on where she thought she saw Riddle sitting in the crowd with that self-satisfied smirk on his face. Shaking her head, she moved out of the hall quickly.

_ I’m going insane. _

_ “Perhaps. Would you like some help with that?” _

Lena avoided questions up until getting to the Common Room, and even then she usually didn’t answer the questions with a straight answer. 

How could she? None of them would understand.

“Lena.”

Except maybe one of them...

Turning to face Ginny Weasley, she grimaced. “Hey, redhead.”

But there was only an amused smile on the girl’s face. “You and Tom. You’re strangely cute together.” 

Lena sputtered for a second, feeling her cheeks heat a bit, before composing herself. “It’s not like that. We’re… acquaintances. Friends depending on the day.” Taking hold of the locket, she looked away from the girl. “Plus I don’t have the time for things like that.” 

_ “You could if you tried~” _

_ Quiet. _

“I understand. But still. Cute.” The girl grinned and left with a wink over her shoulder.

_ Don’t listen to her. I hate you. _

_ “You love me.” _

_ Piss off. _

_ “Maybe ‘piss off’ can be our always?” _

Laughing slightly, she shook her head and went to get ready for bed early, utterly exhausted.

  
  


** _TRIWIZARD LOVE TRIANGLE!_ **

_ By Rita Skeeter _

_ As we’ve all probably heard, the fourth champion in the Triwizard Tournament- Helena Potter AKA Lena Farland- seems to be made of stone and ice… but is that really true? _

_ Miss Potter’s date to the Yule Ball was one Cedric Diggory, the handsome Hogwarts Champion, who has reportedly been cozying up to Helena for quite some time. _

_ Cute right? _

_ Well, there’s more. _

_ Miss Potter was seen ice skating on the Black Lake after the Yule Ball with the older Hufflepuff, something that she and her other Slytherin friends are known to do in the winter, but after a confrontation in the entrance hall, the two split up for the rest of the night and Potter danced away the rest of the night with Hermione Granger, resident bookworm. _

_ Now you could take this as just some normal teenage drama, but after this latest task, I have some doubts. _

_ The second task was one of mental capacity, putting the champions through four ‘rooms’ in a type of dreamscape where they would have to pass through four emotions: Sadness, fear, love, and happiness. _

_ Miss Potter’s dreams were definitely enlightening, the first two showing a tormented childhood in which she was not only harassed by the other kids her age but had to see the man that raised her die in front of her because of a muggle thief. Her third dream was a heartwarming scene between her and Jack Farland- who had adopted her- but still, the underlying suffering of her childhood held weight in the conversation, and the fourth dream room was (supposed to be) an empty room with hot chocolate and a fireplace. _

_ However an interesting figure appeared in her dreams, showing up as a boy about eighteen or nineteen years old with dark hair that Helena called ‘Tom’ and that the Healers on duty had to admit was probably a part of her memory. But this leaves a question- who is that memory of? _

_ This mystery boy is just that, a mystery. _

_ Not a single ‘Tom’ that fits the picture of the boy has been at Hogwarts for the last twenty years. _

_ So is Helena choosing a muggle boy over the charming Cedric Diggory? And what’s with her abnormally close friendship with both Blaise Zabini and Viktor Krum? _

_ This reporter intends to find out. _

_ More on the Yule Ball, page 4. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I accept long screaming rants about how this is so much worse than you thought :)  
In fact, any comments are always appreciated to fill the void that the snow has left in my heart ^-^  
I hope you enjoyed (or cried either works)


	28. Why Not Get A Bit Bloody?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was going to write some happy family fluff... and then this happened.  
Get ready for the ANGST TRAIN!
> 
> WARNING: mentions of child abuse, descriptions of violence, blood, and just lots of morally ambiguous behavior- read at your own risk and if not a fan of that type of stuff... well it's not a /crucially/ important chapter?

Lena wasn’t a huge fan of this Skeeter woman, but as she knew a spell to send Howlers back to their sender and she was more than happy to use it, the drama seemed to avoid her fairly well. 

Cedric and she were finally talking again and the boy admitted that he’d gotten together with Adrian Peucy after the ball, stuttering out an apology for his behavior after ice skating while the other Slytherin was seeming to gnaw at the boy’s neck and she just waved them off as it didn’t really affect her (and she wasn’t sure that trying to eat your romantic partner was appropriate for the Common Room- to which Riddle had a fit of laughter over).

The second task was a bit invasive and she wasn’t sure what to do with the pity and words of seemingly actual genuine sadness for ‘her situation’, and she found herself shrinking back from most everyone who came up to her.

However, this was something she could deal with. 

“You think you had it bad? That you’re all that because some old man died? I’m much smarter and prettier than you _and _ I never even got a shred of affection from my parents! You don’t know the pain of having people there just _ ignore _you!”

The girl, a Gryffindor she didn’t even care to know the name of seemed to be trying to one-up her for how bad they had it, obviously looking for pity. And because they were in front of the Great Hall, Lena was just watching the girl whine with an eyebrow raised. “Oh really?”

“Yeah! I have it much worse than you, but _no- _you’re all ‘pretty’ with your ‘broken charm and soulful eyes’. Well, I know the truth! You’re just some attention-seeking pig and-...”

Lena stopped listening. _ I wonder who the idiot is that thinks my eyes are ‘soulful’... Plus, ‘broken charm’ only goes as far as to get people cut on jagged edges. _

_ “Lovely, I think that you’re the most beautiful, even with your bloodstained edges and unique eyes.” _

_ Sap. _

_ “Only for you, my dear.” _

“-and that ‘Tom’ boy should just give you up- Merlin knows I’m a _ much _better girlfriend!”

That drew her attention back, chuckling softly as she shook her head. “Oh, you poor girl… Tom would eat you alive and when there was nothing left of you but a blood-stained corpse he would find his way back to me just for the chance to be in my presence. You know nothing of what you talk, as you wouldn’t last a _ second _against my dearest Tom.” 

“_Accurate. I would rip her throat out with my teeth just to share the taste of blood with you.” _

_ Violent. _

_ “You started it.” _

The girl sputtered. “You-you're just some- some crazy bint!”

“Methinks Gred, that this little lion should look in a mirror.” A tall redhead boy seemed to melt from the shadows with a wide almost manic grin, resting an arm on the girl’s shoulder. 

Another boy that looked like a mirror image- _twins?_\- appeared to the girl’s other side and put his arm on her other shoulder. “Why waste a mirror? Miss Vane would find her reflection just as well in the painting of the hag on the third floor.”

The girl- ‘Vane’- turned red, pushing off their arms and running out as if embarrassed, but as she was yelling about ‘being bullied’ the whole way Lena was pretty sure she’d just retreated.

Turning to the twins, she tilted her head quizzically. “You are the Demon Twins of Gryffindor, yes?”

“That’s us. And you must be-”

“-the notorious Ice Queen of Slytherin.” Both boys grinned and bowed at the same time, voices in sync. ““It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.””

Lena crossed her arms, though she still held a hint of a smile on her face. “Rise.” When the boys straightened from their bows, she arched an eyebrow. “What is it the Demon Twins seek me out for?”

The two boys looked at each other, becoming a bit nervous in their posture as they seemed to argue through their prolonged eye contact. Finally looking back to her, one of them glanced to the Hall and then to her, speaking softly. “We heard what you did for Meyza and Duval with the chocolate shop and- well-”

“You want financial backing. I see. Come sit with me then. If you can survive the snake-pit and my questions then we will see.”

The other redhead snorted softly. “Do we get customized hot chocolate too? Or is that for friends of Slytherin only?”

She grinned sharply. “Let’s see if you survive lunch first.”

At the end of lunch, they had both an order with the elves of spiced hot chocolate with a blood pop stir stick and a deal with her (and surprisingly Draco) for a loan to get their joke products up and running.

“Farland!”

Lena looked back from where she was walking to Astronomy with her Court to see Mister Crouch glaring at her. Stopping, she turned slightly so she could see him better, hand ready to go for her wand or just cast a wandless spell should he do something stupid. “Mr. Crouch. Do you need something?” 

The man scowled at her. “We have to talk about the next task. Come with me.”

Glancing to where the others were looking at her curiously, she nodded slightly, and then they smoothly separated, her walking after Crouch and them heading to class with the message that she had Tournament-related things.

There was no way that Professor Sinestra was going to be happy, but that was a thought for later.

Right now she was more focused on coiling her magic tightly into her hands so she could attack in a second if need be. Not because the bitter man was really a threat, but because if she really had to do anything ‘tournament related’, Fake Moody would have warned her or just come to fetch her himself.

So she warily reached out with the thinnest strand of magic she could make and let it sharpen until it was a point, waiting, ready to be used.

When the man stopped at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, she let herself stumble as if she hadn’t been paying attention to his pace, the tendril piercing his skin in what she assumed was a small pinch when she collided with him so that he didn’t notice it.

“Stupid girl!” The man pushed her away, but it was too late. 

A tendril of magic had gotten into his body, into his very being. 

Lena tried to hold in her rage, knowing deep down that soon the man would pay for his actions. “Sorry.” Her murmur was soft, as she continued to follow the man into the woods, away from the edge of the forest where she knew safety was left behind too.

Into the dark of the overbearing trees, spilling small patches of the setting sun’s light onto the damp brown dirt, she wondered how long it would take for the man’s body to be consumed by the forest, taken away piece by piece by the animals to be buried around the forest as fertilizer for the new life to grow from.

And her small tendril of poison green magic would go unnoticed among the scattered parts, curled around the arteries of the man’s heart like tiny snakes waiting for her command to sever.

Lena’s morbid thoughts were broken as the man stopped, though this time she didn’t bump against him, watching him steadily as he turned to her with his wand raised. Her voice was a soft croon, gentle, and full of false sweetness. “Mr. Crouch… are you going to try to kill me?”

“I will not _ try_.” His wand raised just a bit higher, moving forward until the stiff wooden weapon was pressed to the soft skin of her flesh. “You are evil and must be exterminated Farland, I _ will _kill you.”

“Really.” Her tone went flat, leaning forward so the wand was pressed further to her throat, almost painful as she grinned something slow and sharp. “Because just the other day I opened up the notebook I put out in the Common Room for my snakes to write their nightmares in and I found out that you, like the disgusting swine you are, hurt someone under my protection… So if anyone is going to die, Mr. Crouch, it’s you.”

With a pulse, the coils around the arteries of the man’s heart tightened and she watched as he fell to the ground in a lump, the wand clattering against the ground. Dipping to pick the man’s wand up, she let go of her magic’s tight grip, studying the slumped over figure as it gasped for air and twitched slightly.

Staying down for a while, the man slowly turned to look at her with eyes promising violence. “I did not touch-” his voice was rough with exertion, “-any of those dark _ brats_!” 

_ “What a bright and lovely personality. No wonder he is on your hit list.” _

_ You mean other than the reason he was planning to kill me? _

_ “Dear, I was trying to overlook that, for the sake of my blood pressure.” _

A voice came from off to the side, interrupting her internal back and forth. “You hurt _me_, so why not hurt one of them? _ Crucio._”

Lena spun around with the wand that was not hers pointed at the newcomer, only to slowly lower it when she came face to face with the man she knew was the real Fake Moody. Ignoring the man writhing on the ground in agony, she tilted her head to study the man that looked a bit younger than she remembered. “Ah. How nice of you to join us, Fake Moody.”

“I’m not-”

“Sure you are.” She then tossed the man’s wand to him, moving to lean against a tree, watching with half-lidded eyes. “Plausible deniability. Now, as you were hurt by him, I will allow you to do as you wish as long as you do not kill him. When I face the second year Hufflepuff that took it upon themselves to write to me, I want to be able to tell them I killed this monster.”

_ “A woman after my own heart.” _

_ This is not the time to get sappy, dearest. _

Riddle huffed. _ “This is the best time! You are showing off your magnificence to another person!” _

_ Someone who works for the man who wants to kill me. _

_ “...you’re still mine.” _

_ Sure, dear. Whatever you say. _

Fake Moody's face was oddly barren of scars, the smooth skin seeming out of place in combination with the calm yet somewhat sharp presence she associated with the trusted Defense Professor. And yet he just nodded slowly, turning to the man and releasing the torture curse before taking out a knife and grinning maniacally. “I have dreamed of this for eleven years, stuck under that damned curse, biding my time, imagining just how I would make you suffer…”

Crouch sneered up at Fake Moody. “You’re going to let some girl kill me when you’re right here? You always _were_ a sniveling-

Lena pulled out a book on stars and star positions moving to sit against the tree and squeezing the bands of magic so the man gasped on the words. “I think, Mr. Crouch, it is better to not antagonize your torturer.” Her voice was soft and sort of chiding, as if a parent lightly reminding their child that something was wrong. “I will not be happy should you make your death fast, so why don’t we do something about that voice of yours…” She sent out a wave of magic.

“You foolish girl! I’m the Head of a Ministry department! You can’t-” The man’s voice cut off suddenly, his mouth moving but no sound coming out.

Fake Moody looked to her. “Why did you silence him? I wanted to hear him beg.”

Huffing, she tossed a small brown charm to him, rolling her eyes. “I didn’t silence him, I stole his voice. You can keep it if you want. A _ souvenir _of sorts.” Then, ignoring the man’s gaping, she looked back to her book.

_ “And when did you create an entirely new spell, my dear?” _

_ A bit ago. It’s not all that impressive, as I have yet to actually figure out how to steal the voice entirely and make it so I can use them in place of my own if I want, but- _

Riddle sounded a bit impatient for the first time since she could remember. _ “When- not why or how.” _

Lena frowned slightly down at her book at his tone. _ I got the idea first year after watching a movie at the local cinema and finding out I had magic. It’s mostly an intent-based spell, so I have to use more power to fuel it without an incantation, but it’s pretty useful for long-term punishments. _

_ “Have I mentioned lately that you’re amazing, lovely?” _

_ Yes. _

_ “Well, you really are. You never cease to amaze me.” _

She shook her head, smiling softly at the book and focusing on actually reading about the stars and their configurations.

It was late when Fake Moody nudged her with his boot and she looked up to see his hands were covered in blood- presumably why he’d chosen such an undignified way of getting her attention. “You good for ending this kiddo? 

Stretching slightly with a small yawn, Lena nodded, looking to where a bloody mess was laying on the dirt of the forest watching her with eyes that looked tormented. Crouching beside him {no pun intended}, she patted a part of his head that was untouched by the red splatter of warm liquid. “There there. You will soon be given some rest from the evil of this world.”

Mr. Crouch spat at her vilely.

Keeping her eyes closed against the feeling of blood and spit on her face, Lena stood and took out a handkerchief to wipe off her face slowly. “What a miserable beast.” Clenching her hand as she wiped the last bit of offending spittle from her cheek, she watched with detached fascination as the man’s blood stopped flowing, his body unable to cope before the small threads of her magic squeezed hard enough to cut through the arteries entirely.

_ Internal bleeding. A slow, yet effective death. _

_ “I do not think even the best healer could fix that…” _ Riddle sounded a bit awed. _ “The second you took control of his heart like that he was without salvation.” _

_ Perhaps I would have let him go if he had made a well-thought-out case against hurting that Hufflepuff. _

_ “Would you have?” _

_ ...In another life, maybe. _

“Lena? Kiddo, you alright?” 

Lena blinked slowly, realizing she was staring blankly at where Crouch was drowning in his own blood. Surely a sign of a guilty conscious- or that was what Fake Moody was thinking it was. 

So she turned to take the man’s own wand from Fake Moody gently, pointing it at the dying. “Quaeso veniam indulgentiae tribuas.” Then she flicked it, using her raw magic to overpower it’s stubborn will not to be used, the spell going through cleanly and opening a wide cut on the man’s throat. Handing back the wand without another word, she turned and collected her stuff. “The thestrals will clean of the raw materials. Vanish all the clothing and either break the wand or hide it away in a place that you are sure will never see the light of day.”

“Wait at the edge of the forest for me. We will be each other’s alibis.”

Nodding, she strode towards the edge of the forest.

The scarred face she was more familiar with in combination with the man’s presence met her at the edge of the forest, hands clean of blood and he hobbled along next to her, his regular eye fixed forward even as his glass eye watched her. “You seem fairly composed for it being just your second time.”

“Third.” She didn’t look at him, voice barely above a whisper, but she knew he could hear her. “And either way, every day I slip further down the path to no redemption, so if I already know that... then why would I be surprised?” 

Shoving her hands further into her pockets, she picked up her pace so the man was left behind.

Entering the Great Hall late for dinner, she moved to the Hufflepuff table instead of her normal seat, standing stiffly behind a small second-year girl. “Miss Grace?”

A fair-haired girl with pigtails and bright brown eyes looked up at her shyly. “I- uh- that’s me...”

Taking out her notebook, she set it down before the girl gently. “If you read the first page where it lists what this is, then you know what I promised you the second you wrote in these pages. Help was offered, so when you asked, help was given. You will suffer no more, though I admit I was a bit late in-”

“Thank you!” A small form shot up, clinging to her and sniffling softly. “I- I didn’t know and then- then Charlie told me… he told me about the notebook and- and I was worried that t-the Slytherins would- would kick me out…”

_ Oh. Right. I almost forgot for a moment- this is_ _what makes the path of no redemption so easy… _

_ “Dear, you will never be a bad person in my eyes. Not compared to what I’ve done.” _

_ Then let us both hope I never break that trust. _

Lena pulled the (slightly) smaller girl further into her arms, rubbing her back gently, as she’d picked up the habit of doing for Theo or Ginny when they were having bad days. “You will never be rejected from my house as long as you bear no ill intent. And even if you are not entirely mine, I would never let you suffer such a fate knowingly.” Pushing the girl back, she wiped the tears from the bright brown eyes and smiled a bit sharply. “Now sit and eat your food without worry, little badger. You should not have to grow into your claws so soon.”

“But you’re strong!” The girl clutched at her wrists childishly, voice almost a whine. “I want to be strong like you!”

Her laugh was soft, gently prying the girl’s fingers off her wrists and then ruffling her hair. “You will be. You will be strong, but ultimately you will be _good, _and that will make you better than even me. I believe you will do magnificent things as soon as you lose that guilt you carry.” Taking back her notebook, she leaned down with a soft whisper. "You are not at fault if I chose to help you of my own free will."

Savannah Grace visibly sagged, nodding slightly. "O-okay."

Patting the girl's head, she moved to sit down in the middle of the Slytherin table, talking with the younger students and ignoring the glances as she ate.

One of the younger boys finally asked why she wasn't sitting at the head of the table and she gave the best truth she could.

"Because the rest of my Court knows me too well."

Because she wanted to pretend for a little while, soak in the admiration in the younger student's eyes and pretend that she was just as _good. _That maybe someday, with enough holy water and repentance, she too could be made of such _sunshine._

Because if she sat up there at the head of the table she knew they'd all be able to tell that she was exactly like the forest in which she'd killed Barty Crouch-

Peaceful and yet deeply haunted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mango writes dark shit when she's drunk #2019  
Anywho- I was thinking of posting the third task as a Thanksgiving gift to y'all... but I might have to go for some (actual) fluff instead just to correct the mood a bit...  
Also, Lena and Tom are such a power couple like whooooooooo boi I stan them both so much ^-^  
Now to go back and read all your amazing comments...


	29. Why Not Enter The Hunger Games?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving for all my American friends and a happy winter day to all my foreign friends!  
I apologize, as this chapter will be a bit short, but the next one will be much longer :)

Lena found herself being hugged to death by Draco... as her animagus, of course. (Not that it would have stopped the boy). She’d decided to try to hide under the couch when the boy had chased her down the hall yelling about wandering off with strange men and missing dinner but had been a bit too late.

And now here she was, being squished to the boy’s chest like a fuzzy pillow.

_ “You’re an animagus.” _

_ Well obviously, dear. I am a cat right now.” _

Riddle huffed. _ “I think for a second I will not be surprised anymore and then you up and do something like this…” _

_ Yes, well I’ll let you rant about your surprise later. For now, let me focus on getting out of this death grip. _

“Mrow.” She tried to voice her displeasure, but her growly meow was cut off into a merp as she was squeezed again.

“Shhhh. You don’t get to complain. What if Crouch had hurt you! If Moody hadn’t run him off before you two went on your walk around the grounds who knows what would have happened all alone in the forest!”

Lena sighed as best she could. 

Such little faith.

A hand moved to pet her head and she looked up at where Ginny was smiling amusedly. “I think Dray was a bit worried.”

The boy snorted, turning his nose up in mimicry of how he used to act. “How could I not be! Charlie would have killed me if she’d gotten hurt!”

Wiggling out of the arms, she finally moved to stand on her own feet, batting at the blond’s hand in reprimand for squeezing her. 

Scooped up by different arms, she blinked up at Severus, who looked down at her with sharp eyes. “And what is this I hear of Mad-Eye having to chase off Mr. Crouch from lecturing you on cheating and other archaic tournament rules?” His voice was calm, but there was a hint of question behind it as he was surely wondering why the official story had her blindly following the Tournament official when she clearly didn’t trust him.

Huffing slightly, nodded her head to his office.

Severus carried her into his office, setting her down in a chair and then moving to close his door. When she shifted back, he leaned against his desk with his arms crossed. “Explain.”

“I can’t. Not unless you promise to keep anything said between you and I secret unless I allow you to tell someone.” Lena crossed her arms at the frown he gave her, willing to wait until he gave in if necessary.

_ “Are you going to tell him about me?” _Riddle’s voice was soft, as if uncertain.

_ Eventually, maybe, but not right now. _

_ “Good.” _

_ Don’t worry dearest, all your dirty little secrets are safe with me. _

Severus rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I swear not to reveal anything said to me by Lena Farland in confidence unless she allows me.” The man arched a sharp brow. “Now, what is this ridiculousness about?”

“I killed Barty Crouch.” Hurring on when he opened his mouth, she explained her reasoning, as she didn’t just go around killing for _fun_. “I have a journal entry in my notebook detailing a few different encounters a young girl had with Mr. Crouch, as he was a friend of her father’s and would let her stay at his house when her father was out. Apparently when he drank...”

“I understand.” There was a cold stillness to the man’s voice and she let him take a moment to compose himself. “And when you-… did you seek him out?”

Lena tried to keep herself from feeling hurt at that prodding question, knowing that it must have been a bit much to learn that for the second time in a year the child he was supposed to be the guardian of had killed a grown man, but her jaw clenched slightly despite herself. “He ordered me to follow him and I did, knowing that there was a faint possibility that I might have to defend myself, however, if nothing had happened then I would not have done what I did.” She curled in on herself slightly, something raw in her chest seeming to open as her voice softened. “I never wanted this.”

_ I never wanted to hurt anyone. I just wanted to be great… to be something more than nothing. _

_ “Oh my dear, if I had my way, you would never have to feel such guilt ever again.” _

Sighing deeply and kneeling by her chair so he could pull her into his arms, Severus smoothed out her hair gently. “I will never think less of you for helping someone less fortunate or defending yourself… but please tell me should you think the best way to help is by killing a man, as I am sure with two heads on the matter we could come up with some other way.”

“Skeeter.”

Pulling away just slightly with a frown, the man looked at her with a slight smile. “Did you kill her too?”

She scowled at the man. “Not yet, but if she gets too irritating...”

Severus snorted softly. “I will write a letter to your account manager, try to find a basis to sue- like using a name you have specifically stated you don’t magically identify with.”

“Thank you.” Reaching out to take his hand, she squeezed it gently, knowing that as hard as it was for her to initiate contact sometimes that it meant a lot to the man. Letting him go, she sat for a while longer curled up in the chair watching as he scrawled out a letter, before shifting back into her animagus and returning to the Common Room.

Surely she could get someone to hug her tight so she could forget the cold feeling in her stomach at not telling Severus that his old master might have returned and she’d helped that along.

Slowly the time went by, Professor Babbling dragging her outside to the grounds to run though ward drawings and runic circles like some type of game drawing in the grass with chalk spells, Severus popping out of nowhere to ask her questions about high-level potions, and Fake Moody making her do laps or other exercises on the Quidditch Pitch.

It wasn’t long before the Quidditch team and some of the Durmstrang boys were actually joining her in the exercises with Moody, needing to keep in shape, and once and awhile Ginny would show up with a grin. (Apparently, the girl was vying for the seeker position on the team the next year because of Lena’s indifference to the game.)

Lena took to wearing more and more muggle clothes, so as not to ruin her nice robes with sweat or chalk, and Ginny had quickly taken her up on her offer of the muggle sports bras and shorts for workouts.

Daphne and Fleur were eventually convinced to join them- but only for the running- and as the weather slowly warmed up Moody even had her swimming in the Black Lake.

Skeeter wrote another article about her and her _ ‘scandalous show of blatantly unladylike behavior’_, accusing her of dating most of her male friends at the same time and making rude comments about her attire while training, but she ignored it and instead focused on mastering sticking charms so she could wear the locket while still being active.

If Fake Moody ever had any knowledge about ‘Tom’ from her second task or the locket, he kept quiet, instead just looking at her strangely every time he saw her holding the golden necklace as if he expected her to drop dead any second.

Unsurprisingly, Rite Skeeter couldn’t find anything on Tom, so she instead slandered Lena as ‘insane’ and tried to play the boy off as a hallucination, to which Lena had just smiled and muttered “I wish he was” before tossing the paper aside.

Though she still saw glimpses of an older Riddle with red eyes wherever she went.

Running? He was sitting in the stands.

Out to Hogsmeade? He was lingering in an alleyway.

Walking with Dumbledore? There he was, at the edge of the forest.

Before she knew it, her mind preoccupied with all the chaos making up her life, she was standing in a familiar tent with the other Champions.

_ She was just glad she was done with her OWLs and NEWTs for Ancient Runes. _

Ludo Bagman clapped his hands, seeming as if he was hyper, and his eyes were gleaming with a sort of childish excitement. “Okay! The final task! Here’s your objective... _Survive_!” The man then held out his hand. “You will have to use your prowess as Champions to last 30 minutes in the arena without your wands. If you will hand over your wands please.”

“You are kidding!” Fleur paled a bit. “We… we are not to fight each other?!”

“Only if you want to! There are also ten magical creatures in the arena, some of which even I don’t know how the Judges got ahold of, as well as two weapons and two healing potions hidden around the arena.” Bagman grinned. “Now, take off all magical items and hand over your wands please.”

Looking at each other, the four slowly handed over their wands and she unclasped the locket, putting it in Snape’s pocket while glaring at Bagman. 

The man just beamed at the four of them, as if completely unaffected by the mood in the tent. “Okay! When the whistle blows you four will be sent to different areas of the arena!” Then the man pranced out.

Lena quickly looked to the four. “Okay, if something’s stronger than you and you’re unarmed or you know you can’t survive it, try to befriend it or at least get away. If you can’t, then fight with everything you have.”

“What will they put out there?” Cedric looked pale at the thought of possibly facing another dragon.

“I have no idea…”

A sharp whistle blew and the world distorted around her as she was transported from the tent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Objective: Survive.  
How do you think Lena's going to like this task?  
What's Tom up to?  
Is Rita going to take a hint?  
Who knows! Have a good day/night, everyone!


	30. Why Not Fight For Your Life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the Hogwarts Games!  
Your objective? Survive! ^-^

Thomas Gaunt, Lord of the Ancient House of Gaunt, smiled thinly at Albus Dumbledore from the side of Lucius Malfoy. “Headmaster Dumbledore.” He held out his hand. “Thomas Gaunt. It’s a pleasure to meet you, as I have heard quite a lot from Lucius about you...”

“Ah, all good things I hope?” With eyes that twinkled merrily, the Headmaster took his hand, patting the back like some friendly old man. “I heard that a young man had claimed the Gaunt heirship- did you go to school here? If so, I’m sorry but I don’t remember you off the top of my head, my boy.”

“I was homeschooled.” He took his hand back slowly but with enough force that the man couldn’t keep a hold on it, clasping his wrist behind his back, suspecting that the man knew _exactly _who he was. 

Dumbledore nodded. “A Defense Master too, as I’ve heard... Perhaps I’ll have to talk to you about teaching sometime.”

He couldn’t hide all of his shock, blinking at where the man smiled and then bid him goodbye before moving to talk to ‘Moody’, who only glanced at him in a way that looked to be in suspicion but was really to check with him that everything was still on plan. 

Lucius looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “Shall we find a seat?”

“Please.” Turning away from the strange old man (that he would _never _understand), they moved to the middle of the small V.I.P stands and settled on the seats that even with the cushioning spells were still slightly uncomfortable.

_ Though- _ he reminded himself _ \- it was well worth it for the opportunity to see Lena in action. _

The Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch looked like an abandoned muggle village with tall hedges in some places blocking sight, tires laid out to form obstacles, crates laying around, and areas of tall grass growing in patches around the edges.

Ludo Bagman stepped up to a platform, smile wide and cheery. “Hello everyone! Welcome to the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, a test of physical strength and adaptability! The four champions will have to survive the arena for thirty minutes- fear not, we have specialized healers on staff should any of the champions get too injured, though they _will _lose points should the healers be called! As well, scattered around the area are three hidden weapons, one hidden healing potion, and ten _deadly_ creatures!!”

Thomas looked to Lucius, who determinedly wouldn’t look at him before his eyes slid back to Bagman. 

He was_ not _pleased with this_. _

“Because of the creatures and the lives on the line, everyone in the crowd- including myself- are silenced to the champions, but the arena itself is amplified so we should be able to hear every single word that’s spoken! Now, please welcome our CHAMPIONS!”

A sharp whistle echoed around the quidditch pitch, four figures appearing around the edges of the arena.

His eyes immediately went to the smaller girl, who was in the dragonhide pants she'd worn the first task and muggle t-shirt.

“Great.” Lena’s muttered voice echoed around the area, sounding as if her patience was about worn thin- the girl stalking through the tall grass she'd arrived in, hands stuffed in her pockets and a slight pout on her face. “I swear, the second I get out of here I'm going to rip that stupid grin off Bagman's face... putting children in with dangerous creatures, honestly, what a load of _ rubbish_."

Ludo seemed not to know what to say to that, his smile flickering before it was back in full effect. "Well then folks, looks like the youngest champion woke up on the wrong side of the bed! And while the others are being cautious about their noise level and how they're studying the course, Miss Farland seems not to even care!"

But Lena wasn't done with her bitter grumbling. "I bet this has Lucius Malfoy's grubby hands all over it." The girl made a scoffing sound, kicking a rock at a hedge moodily. "I only threw him out of the Common Room once, and _this _is how he repays me? Prideful bag of _ dicks_."

Thomas looked to where Lucius was turning red, the man's hand gripping his cane tightly, and smirked. 

_ Totally worth it. _

"Oh.. kay…" Ludo Bagman seemed to be a bit thrown, but after a second regained his normal stage presence, clearing his throat. "Uh- right! Oh and we see here, the creatures are being released into the stadium, oh and Krum's already found a sword-"

Karkaroff gave a self-satisfied fist pump, making him roll his eyes. 

_ He'd almost forgotten that traitorous swine was still alive… well for now at least. _

Bagman's excited voice cut through his murderous thoughts. "Okay okay- we might be getting our first taste of the action! Krum just charged a troll and- OH! He ran that ugly mug right though! That's one kill to Viktor Krum! And- look at that, there's an acromantula heading for Miss Farland!"

_ A what now? _

His eyes darted to where Lena was marching across the patch of tall grass, a large brown spider with dripping fangs and multiple beady black eyes climbing the hedge to her side and gearing up to spring.

There was no way to get her attention or help, and he could do nothing but watch in horror as the beast barreled her over, his hands turning white in where they were clenched onto the bench.

"Get _ off_!" The girl twisted, kicking the spider off her, not even sparing a glance at the bloody wound on her shoulder as she leveled the beast with a deadly glare. "Don't you dare-" The girl spun out of the way, narrowly avoiding another of the beast's lunges, and held up her palm as if about to tell it to stop. “_Ignis_!”

With a horrible screech, the spider seemed to catch fire and as the girl clenched her hand, the orange flames burned a bright blue, consuming the beast in its blaze.

The horrible noises of high-pitched agony slowly died out and slowly Lena dropped her hand to her side, the fire flickering and dying as she eyed the charred corpse. 

Lena's voice was flat as she walked around the spider's dead form towards the middle of the area. "Fried spider anyone?"

"Well- uh- that was unexpected… it seems that our youngest champion knows wandless fire spells!" Ludo Bagman seemed a bit shaken, even as he tried to smile. "One kill to Lena Farland- and over here it seems that Miss Delacour and Mr. Diggory have teamed up and are fending off one of the Hogwarts Groundskeeper's beasts, a- uh- a Blast-Ended Skrewt! And there goes Mr. Krum, barging his way in and- Yes! Krum's killed the Skrewt! Another kill to Viktor Krum!" 

The three champions on the other side of the pitch from Lena huddled, giving each other brief hugs. 

The part-veela girl looked worried. "Viktor, have you seen Lena?"

"Not yet." The larger boy put a hand on the French girl's shoulder. "You heard her. She will be better without bother, as she is not in good moods."

Ludo beamed. "It looks like the teams have been made and the youngest has been left out! What a turn of events! Oh, and look at that! Not only has Miss Farland got a Niffler trying to steal her bracelet by the looks of it, but a unicorn is also moving slowly towards the girl! She must be an absolute _ treat _ in Care of Magical Creatures!"

Indeed a small black shape had latched itself onto her arm and the girl sighed deeply as if a parent looking at a child doing something incredibly dumb. "That won't come off. Both my bracelets and dog tags have tiny carved rune sequences to not leave my person unless I myself remove them." 

The Niffler ignored her for the sake of tugging harder.

"Fine. If I give you something sparkly will you stop trying to steal Jack's bracelet?" The small creature paused and she knelt to undo something from her ankle, holding it out for the beast, who grabbed it and shoved it in its pouch. Lena huffed. "Ridiculous thing. That was my birthday present from my manager at the bookstore… though I never _ did _ like him, so I guess you can keep it."

Off in the background, Ludo was commenting on the other three champions that were fighting off a Quintaped, but he (and half of the crowd) was watching a unicorn foal bound up to Lena and start to nuzzle at her.

Lena snorted. “Wow. Way to clear up half of Skeeter’s articles for me in one fell swoop.” Hugging the foal's neck, the girl's voice was a soft murmur. "You wouldn't go near that horrible woman in a million years, would you? No, no you wouldn't~"

"Look at that folks! Miss Farland has befriended a unicorn and seems to be hugging it! Is this really the all-feared Slytherin Queen we've heard so much about?"

Cedric Diggory on the other side of the arena was wiping sweat from his brow, he and Viktor having fought off a chupacabra. "I bet Lena's doing her wandless magic. No way would she be having any trouble with this."

Viktor grunted. "She does not need her wand. We do."

"We 'ave to remember that Lena went for almost four years with a broken wand." Fleur let the two boys fight, using her allure to distract the beast, and she stood with her arms crossed. "I would not be surprised if she is ignoring the task as a whole. She seems to never sleep as it is."

The two other boys glanced at each other, Krum shrugging, but Diggory frowned. "I wouldn't be able to sleep either if I had to relive the memory of seeing my father figure dead in front of me or of almost drowning."

There was a pause and the three looked at each other grimly.

"We should keep moving." Viktor's gruff voice had the three champions fell to silence again.

Bagman started up a running commentary of the conversation- but as it was mostly a retelling of the second task and things from the Daily Prophet, Thomas instead looked back to where Lena was still hugging the unicorn foal, face hiding in its neck and small hand stroking its silvery coat fondly.

Thomas' eyes caught on where the tall grass seemed to be rippling, moving towards the girl, and the Unicorn tossed its head… but it was too late.

A manticore- with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and a tail of a scorpion- jumped from the grass, and a think spike-like barb shot from its tail to pierce the girl in the lower back.

Stumbling, cursing softly, Lena turned to face the beast and closed her eyes briefly with a sigh. "A fucking manticore? Are you _serious!? _"

His hands clenched around the bench again as the beast stalked forward slowly.

"Human meat…" The beast's twisted face bared its teeth, voice a low raspy hiss. “I feast on human meat tonight, as frail as human looks... So _hungry_...”

"Find someone else to eat. I'm off the menu." Pulling the spine out of her back with just a small wince, the girl raised her hand and glared at the beast venomously, her emerald green eyes seeming to glow with power. "_Gladius_."

From her hand, a large broadsword seemed to materialize.

The manticore growled out a laugh, stalking forward yet. "You are no match for me! Not with just a puny-"

"_Caedis_." The word was just barely a whisper, the sword swinging and there was a sickening slicing sound as the beast was sliced in half cleanly, blood staining the grass as its body fell with a thump. Lena looked away from the beast, closing her eyes tightly, and then she was bending over and throwing up.

The unicorn ambled over to her side, the Niffler on its back, and when the girl stopped heaving violently, it bushed its nose against her cheek as if kissing her.

He blocked out Ludo's astounded recount of what she'd just done (the man's bias against the girl seeming to have disappeared in the face of her magic for the moment), watching as Lena's hands shook slightly as she wiped her mouth, turning her head into the unicorn's neck.

Her voice was just a whisper. "Quaeso veniam indulgentiae tribuas…"

It seemed like a prayer and his temper flared at the thought of the green-eyed girl having to apologize for something she was forced into, sending a glare to Lucius, who shivered slightly as if feeling his icy wrath.

Thomas’ eyes turned back to where Lena was limping over to a small crate, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like curse words under her breath before shedding her shirt for a simple black piece of fabric covering her chest, wiping off the blood from her back to reveal healed skin. 

A whistle echoed from the crowd, others laughing, and he clenched his jaw. 

_ How dare they. _

_ She was not theirs. _

"What a waste." Lena held up the bloody shirt to examine the hole in it before sighing and dabbing at her wounded shoulder. "Royal Fashion Police is going to kill me."

That raised laughter from the Slytherins, a redhead in the front- _ Ginny, as his mind supplied _\- leaning over the railing, her voice a yell even if the girl couldn't hear her. "Damn, Lena! Look at those abs!"

The house of the snakes started into laughter, starting to yell things, but the tone remained positive and playful.

"Idiots." Thomas sneered, not liking any of this. Not that his girl was in danger, not that she was practically half-naked, not that she had gotten hurt, and _not _that Bagman was now talking about her 'bachelorette status' and 'marriage availability'.

“Oh _ shit_.” Lena’s muttered curse broke Bagman’s rant, the crowd’s eyes going to where a massive cat beast with a long pink plume tail was climbing down from the top of a nearby hedge to snarl at her. “What did do in my past life to deserve _this? _” 

The Chinese Zouwu- that Thomas recognized from his travels and studies- slowly prowled forward, its eyes narrowed, snarling with every step it took and he saw the girl’s face smooth out into a blank mask of indifference as she stood up slowly.

The girl looked to the Niffler out of the corner of her eyes, careful not to show the cat creature any weakness. “Hey, um, can I borrow something- maybe a bell?”

With a small terrified chirp, the Niffler tossed two shiny objects at her and the girl glanced at them before licking her lips slowly. “Maybe- uh- another pair? Please? So we both don’t get eaten?” Another two shiny objects were tossed at her and the girl looked down, seeming to be doing something with her hands.

The Zouwu roaring at the lack of attention she was paying it, starting to move further forward-

Lena straightened, raising a hand as if to snap, but when she brought her fingers together, a soft _cling_ rang out.

The eyes of the creature shot to the source of the sound.

“Miss Farland has on traditional finger cymbals! What in Merlin’s name-”

“Okay...” The girl’s voice was soft but cut over Ludo, her eyes on the creature before her and she took a deep breath, shoulders seeming to relax. “It’s just like dancing or skating with the Court. Just… while being stared at by a huge mythological cat demon.” 

The girl sighed, before starting to hum something softly under her breath, she padded gently across the grass as if dancing with a partner, steps light and keeping time to the song that she obviously had in her head with the cymbals on her fingers.

Her soft laugh filled the stadium as the cat creature seemed to bounce back and forth to the beat of the soft _cling _sounds coming from her hands, Lena started to spin and the Zouwu (like an overgrown puppy), decided to run in a circle around her as she did. Stopping suddenly, the girl burst into a bright peel of laughter when the creature tumbled over itself trying to stop. 

On its back, eyes dilated in where they were peeking at her, the creature made a soft rumbling sound.

“Yeah, okay.” The girl took off the cymbals and tossed them back to the Niffler, moving forward to scratch the Zouwu’s belly and giggling when it started to purr loudly. “I wonder if Severus would let me keep you. He did say he would consider a pet for the house...” The girl then reached for its neck where Thomas could see a thick metal collar digging into its skin, breaking the lock on the band with just a touch.

_ Marvelous. _

Purring even louder, the cat creature moved to lick her face, seeming to grin when she made a sound of disgust.

“Lena? Lena, where are you?” Diggory was yelling, the other three champions following him as they hurried across the field. 

Looking up, the girl moved away from the hedge, looking at the small group and smiling tiredly. “Hey.” With a huff, the unicorn (with the niffler clinging to it) and the Zouwu moved to Lena’s back, the cat demon putting its head on top of hers, making her grin a little wider. “I made a few friends.”

“That... is a _Zouwu_.” Miss Delacour looked at Lena as if she was insane.

“I know. They like dancing though, so we’re friends now.” Then the girl smiled as if that was common sense.

Diggory moved to pull her into a hug, sounding relieved even as the cat creatures made disapproving noises at being pushed out of the way. “I thought you’d been hurt and- well- Adrian would _ kill _me if you died.” The boy then paused as if realizing something. “Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”

Shugging, she waved a hand with a disarming grin. “Aesthetics.”

“You are ridiculous.” Krum was smiling though. “We found four creatures.”

“I found five.” The girl’s frame tensed when the nearby crate rattled and she pushed Diggory away slightly. “A boggart. This keeps getting better and better...”

Diggory frowned. “I can-”

“No.” The girl looked to Diggory, her smile barely there. “I want to see what it shows itself as. I doubt it’ll be able to take Jack’s form anymore and would like to see what… what I’m afraid of.”

Thomas leaned forward, steepling his hands under his chin.

_ This would be interesting... _

“Oh, we’re in for a real treat here folks- the chance to see the one fear of the girl that Hogwarts named the ‘Queen of Ice’. I wonder what form it will take? Maybe a lake?” Ludo chuckled but stopped quickly when the whole Slytherin section hissed violently at him like a literal pit of snakes.

He hid a smile behind a blank mask, watching the girl walk forward slowly, shattering the lid of the crate with a flick of her hand.

A black mist seeped out of the box, pulsing and then congealing into a figure. 

With brown eyes and neatly styled hair, a younger version of himself stood in front of her with a familiar smirk. Then the boy moved to sit elegantly on the edge of the box, winking at the girl.

_ She feared… him? _

“I can’t wait for the look on Tom’s face when I tell him he’s my boggart. He’s going to be _so _offended_. _” Snickering softly, Lena shook her head and raised her hand, taking a deep breath. “Sorry ‘bout this, but you’re not really him.”

The image of his younger self raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t give me that look, I’m just trying to collect the fragments of my magic from where it’s being annoyingly slow.” Then the girl turned her head from the boggart. “_LUX!_”

A blinding white light consumed the arena, the light dispelling the dark form of the boggart like it was shredding it to pieces, and when it cleared the boggart was gone but Lena was swaying on her feet. 

Viktor Krum moved to catch her as her knees gave out.

Green eyes moved to lock on him, a bitter smile cresting her lips as her eyes fluttered. “T- tom?...” 

The two other champions moved forward to surround her, Fluer putting a hand to her forehead. “She’s burning up.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s been using way too much wandless magic and overloaded her core.” Diggory sighed. “Now what do we do? Is the time almost up do you think? Because I swear Slytherin’s going to skin us if we don’t get her to a medical professional.”

“HELL _ YEAH _ WE WILL!” That was Theodore Nott, the snake pit snickering slightly but nodding along.

Krum huffed, moving to hoist the girl into his arms. “I have a sword. Let's break the wards.”

Ludo paled, motioning to someone and the arena shimmered, the silencing ward falling. “No need Mr. Krum! The task is over and healers will be coming out any moment to take care of Miss Farland- but for now, the scores!”

“How about you just tell us who won and then we call it good?” Diggory crossed his arms, scowling. “Because honestly? All four of us think this competition is pretty much an over-glorified dangerous waste of time.”

“Well- that- I-...” Bagman sputtered, before composing himself. “Fine. First place is tied between Viktor Krum and Lena Farland, meaning in exactly two days there will be a duel and the winner will be the Triwizard Champion!”

With a shuddering cough, Lena shook her head, somehow finding enough energy to blink slightly. “I completed three tasks. The tournament’s over. I quit. Viktor wins.” Her voice was soft, hand moving to pat the larger boy’s arm. “Good job, Vik... Now can I please go to sleep for a week?”

Bagman started to speak but his voice was drowned out by a commotion as the Slytherin and Durmstrang students flooding the field and surrounding the two, Zabini taking Lena into his arms and twirling around with a big smile as she groaned softly.

Lena’s head pounded with the noise and movement, before a shadow fell over her, Severus shaking his head. “You’re impossible.”

“It’s a talent.” She took the pepper-up and locket from him, downing the potion and putting back on the locket, sighing deeply when her headache faded. Then she shoved at Zabini and made him set her down, steadying herself on Draco and smiling when she found all three schools mingling in celebration.

Eyes drifting to the stands where she’d seen the mirage of Tom before, she found it was empty, some random man talking to Lucius Malfoy quietly as the two of them approached her. Sighing, she pulled away from Draco. “I think I’m going to lay down.”

“Miss Farland.” Lucius Malfoy stood near Severus, him and his guest watching her closely. “If I may introduce you to-”

“No. You may not, because I still don't like you.” Ignoring both men, she instead looked to Severus. “I’m going back to the castle and will probably sleep through the party and the feast. Will you need my help packing?”

With a lopsided grin, Sev shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Packing?” Lucius sounded a bit nervous. “What- where are you two going?”

She smirked. “Vacation. Severus and I are taking a summer off to study under Nicolas Flamel, as Dumbledore set up a connection for us. That and I insisted on dragging him somewhere warm that preferably has a beach for my birthday.”

The man aside Malfoy Sr. frowned slightly. “Shouldn’t you stay for your birthday this summer? I hear Lady Malfoy quite liked having a girl around the Manor… Isn’t that right Lucius?”

“Y-yeah.” Lucius looked a bit pale.

Lena eyed the other man (who was nothing if not the example of _ ‘plain’ _) suspiciously, before shrugging casually as if it was no big deal. “My recent brush with a Death Eater makes me think I should find a good way to keep myself occupied away from Britain when I’m not at Hogwarts. Severus just decided to come with me instead of waking up to find me gone one morning.”

“Ah. I see...” The man nodded as if he understood, even if it was clear he didn’t agree.

Glancing to Severus, who raised an eyebrow at her, she rolled her eyes and then turned away. 

_ She had sleep to catch up on. _

  
  


Thomas watched Lena walk away from him, her long hair swaying slightly with the light glinting off it like a waterfall of ink. 

_ He was reluctant to let her go, much less somewhere he didn’t have influence… _

_ But he’d been patient so far, made his plans, and waited for her to find all his Horcruxes- to let her piece his soul back together with care- before he would let her see him, as she deserved nothing but all of him. _

“You are going to France then.” He looked to Severus, who he hadn’t revealed himself to, but wouldn’t be surprised if the man already knew. “And this next school year?”

“Lena is safe at Hogwarts.” Severus Snape turned his eyes to him, lips quirking up just the slightest bit in a dark smirk. “It is only the people outside the school that she would rather not deal with, Mr. Gaunt… _ Especially _ those she doesn’t already know.”

Scowling slightly, he nodded, watching the Potions Master stride away with his black robes billowing behind him. It was obvious he was not recognized or the man would not have turned his back on him after saying such things.

Though the worry that his darling held about his more _fanatic _followers… 

That would not do. 

What if she was attacked without his oversight and was hurt again? Or worse- if she left for good?

_ No… _

_ He would not let a few deranged fools give her any reason to fear him. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I could go away to France on a vacation...  
Who else is ready for Lena to meet the Flamels? ^-^ I know I am :)  
ALSO- Viktor Krum has Himbo energy, Lena is almost exclusively Tomsexual, Cedric and Ginny are bisexual disasters, Fleur is a dignified lesbian, Luna is a soft lesbian, Draco is a dignified gay, Charlie is a disaster gay, Theo and Daphne are the Functioning Straights TM of the group, and Blaise is attracted to females that could kill him ((yes, you needed this, you're welcome))


	31. Why Not Accidentally Make A Dark Lord More Obsessed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we talk about how much I love this chapter? It's like condensed fluff with a bit of added (not intentional) humor ^-^  
~  
WARNING- minor character death, blood, accidental murder (is that a thing? meh, it is now)

The castle was still, the crowds outside much too loud and joyous as they celebrated for her tastes and she'd quickly slipped away with the promise of sleep luring her towards the dungeons. But even in her state of exhaustion, she heard the faint footsteps following her.

At the wall to the Common Room, she stopped, not looking back but crossing her arms. "I'm not going to let you into the Common Room. You either talk to me here or go away."

"I wasn't planning on trying to sneak in, I just wanted to speak to you away from the crowds." Lucius Malfoy's friend spoke up and when she turned around, he was leaning against a nearby wall.

Letting her wand slip into her hand, feeling unnerved by the intense gaze he had fixed on her, she narrowed her eyes. "And what is it you wish to talk about because I am in a foul mood already and will not hold back should you move a foot out of line. It's quite creepy to follow a teenage girl into the castle, alone and wanting to 'talk'."

Blinking, as if that hadn't occurred to the man, he seemed to frown slightly as if put out by this. "I didn't mean to-"

Lena held up a hand to stop him, relaxing just slightly, content the man was just an idiot but not a threat to her at the moment. "Just tell me what you wanted to ask. I'm quite tired and I really do plan to sleep for a week."

"I was wondering why you fear that boy, as he was in your dreamscape... Did he hurt you?" The man's eyebrows were furrowed as if this was unimaginable to him but as if he'd made himself say it anyway. 

A slight chuckle escaped her lips at the mere thought.

_ "What a farce. I would never hurt you." _

_ I know dearest, that was why I was laughing. _

She smiled and shook her head. "I think you're mistaken. Tom would never hurt me, no, I more think that he showed up as my boggart because-"

_"I did WHAT NOW?!"_

Lena stifled a smile. "-because the thing I fear most is now the inevitable day in which I will lose him. Nothing more than that, just a teenage girl who's seen too much death fearing that it will take another she cares for." 

_"You spoil me with such sweet words, my dear."_

_I tell naught but the truth, sweetheart. _

"I see." This time the man- Gaunt something?- said the words, he actually did seem to understand, eyes softer in where they were watching her than she knew what to do with. "Then I hope for both your and his sake, that day will never come."

Shrugging, that uncomfortable jittery feeling coming back to her and she looked down at the ground. "I hope so too, but I fear that my hopes will be ignored by the fates, as they always have before." 

_ Why was she telling this stranger such personal things? _

_ "Because you subconsciously trust him? I think it's sweet, dear." _

Pouting slightly and letting herself the childish action of squishing a small blue beetle by her foot at her internal irritation, she turned and walked inside the Common Room without even saying goodbye to the man.

_ I am not 'sweet'. _

_ "Of course, dearest. You were made of hellfire and poisoned hot chocolate, but even so, I will always think you sweet. _

She relaxed slightly, knowing Riddle was just being a sap and not making fun of her. 

Thomas fought the sappy smile wanting to curl his lips at the more than pleasing answer Lena had given him, his worries over the boggart soothed.

_ And how adorable, pouting and squishing that beetle, most likely because she had let slip more information than she normally would with anyone else. _

Feeling all warm inside- _he would most definitely consult Narcissa about this strange feeling, perhaps he was getting sick-_ he was about to turn away when a soft light engulfed the hallway.

Eyes widening at the sight of Rita Skeeter, laying in a puddle of what looked to be blood with her limbs twisted at odd angles, he looked at the door to the Slytherin Common Room.

He so wanted to permit himself entry, if just to ask Lena how she'd known- to smother her in awed utterances and sweet words of how amazing she was... but he restrained himself, if just barely. 

There was time to play her game, though he had the suspicion that he was a mere pawn on her chessboard.

_ And oh, if that was what she asked of him, then he would gladly play along. _

_ That way he might get to see more of her feats of wonder bask in her power and beauty. _

Thomas flicked his wand, sending the body to the Malfoy dungeons, knowing the house-elves would get rid of it. Then he cleaned the stone of the blood, all the while growing more and more determined to make sure that none of the radical idiots under him scared away the magnificent girl.

_ He would have to clean up his kingdom a bit before he showed it to his Queen. _

It had been a week since she'd left Britain and Severus had been trying to go to every single bookstore they walked past, Lena eventually just giving in and finding something to do after she had found a few books and the man was busy trying to absorb every single book he came across.

Usually, that left her in parks soaking up the sun, eyes closed as she talked idly with Riddle, but sometimes she would find little cafes nearby to sit down at and get a cup of tea.

Lena sliced the tip of the pie off with her fork, setting it to the side for last, as was tradition. Taking a bite of the apple pie, she looked out of the window in the small cafe and put her chin in her hand. Severus was across the street in a bookstore (again), and she’d wanted pie.

Only… 

Lena sighed, taking another bite of pie but not tasting it. 

She felt as if she’d left something important- something she couldn’t remember- behind when she’d taken hold of the international portkey. 

_ “Maybe you did.” _

_ Perhaps... When do you think it would be appropriate to get homesick? _

_ “Homesick? You’re already homesick sweetheart.” _ Riddle scoffed. _ “Why not just go back to Britain?” _

_ You know why. Voldemort’s back and if I’m not hallucinating, then he’s wearing your face, dear. _

_ “You know that you can’t keep avoiding him forever.” _

Lena frowned slightly and took another bite of pie. _ I can until I know how to kill him. That’s what the others wanted, so that’s what I’m going to do. _

There was a long pause. _ “Then you know you’ll have to destroy me and also know where the last consciousness piece is.” _

_ I know. _

They sat in silence- a teenage witch and the voice in her head- until Severus came back and sat with her quietly as he read, sneaking bites of her pie when she pretended like she wasn’t looking.

Standing outside a small two-story shop of wooden children’s toys and other carved objects, she looked to Severus. “This is the place?”

“This is the place.” He moved forward, opening the door for her. “Be nice.”

“I’m always nice.” She ignored his snort, moving into the shop and looking around critically at the small objects, half her brain puzzling over their use while the other half of her brain was instead focused on the larger man with short black hair and a rough look on his face was watching her from his seat at a small desk- carving something faintly resembling an elephant.

Severus moved into the shop after her, not even glancing at the wooden carvings and instead looking at the man with sharp eyes. “We are here to meet-”

Lena moved forward, holding out her hand. “Mister Flamel. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“...How did you know?” The man looked at her with brown eyes that were almost hidden under impressive eyebrows, his angular face one that reminded her of a bad guy in one of the action movies she'd snuck out of the Orphanage to see.

_ “He is not the Alchemist. He cannot be...” _

Lena ignored Riddle, smiling slightly and keeping her hand extended. “Age is not in the face, but the eyes. If I might be so crass to say- you’ve seen some right shit, sir.”

With a grin that was pure mirth, the man told her hand with a (un)surprisingly strong grip, standing. He towered over her like a wall of pure muscle, letting her hand go and patting her head. “I think she'll like you.”

“She?” Severus sounded a bit far out of his depth, but they both just ignored him.

“Oh, am I forgetting the time again?” A woman with a bright smile and beautifully braided hair strolled out of a door in the back, standing on the balls of her feet to press a kiss to the man’s lips before looking at them cheerfully. “You must be the friends Albus sent me! I see you’ve met my husband, so please, come in!”

The man frowned slightly. “Perry… I’m not sure-”

“Thank you, Miss Flamel.” Lena slipped past the large man, moving to walk with the woman back into a small house. “You're more beautiful than even the accounts of olde say and if I may say, your hair would make my beauty-obsessed friend cry tears of joy.”

White teeth bright again her dark skin, Perenelle sent her a fond smile. “Thank you, young one. You are not lacking in beauty either, though I am much more fond of men and _ am _ married.”

Lena flushed slightly. “Oh- no I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay. I’m just giving you a hard time.” The woman winked at her, waving her to a seat in a small kitchen before starting to make a pot of tea. “You are Albus’ prodigy after all, are you not? It would be a loss for me to not take this chance to tease you.”

She sat down at one of the chairs. “You look alright without your stone, did you make a new one?”

Perenelle Flamel nodded idly, leaning back against the counter. “A friend of ours who can see the future told us many years ago not to worry about losing the other one, as she said it would stay in hands that wouldn’t abuse it.”

“The stone is yours? You made it?” Snape followed her in and sat down heavily as if the world had tilted on its axis. “What- but the books-”

“No. She made the stone. Even Salazar Slytherin knew that. Perenelle just let Nicolas take credit because it was the only way for her to not be hunted, as women were not supposed to be powerful inventors at that time. Hence why Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were also trained in battle.” Lena grinned sharply. “But I would bet that you’re not all that harmless either.”

The woman laughed brightly, moving to pull her into a tight hug. “I like this one!”

Nicolas crossed his arms, sighing, even as he held a fond look on his face. “Knew it.”

Severus and she looked at each other, him in bewilderment and her in exasperation, as they both suspected this was going to be an interesting summer.

_ Kid, _

_ I know you up and left and I’m probably the last person you want to hear from, but will you trust me when I say that my Lord is not trying to kill you and that you can come back without the threat of death? _

_ In fact, he seems a bit- well-... it’s not my business. _

_ Not to mention Narcissa is getting extra moody (pardon the pun) because she couldn’t throw you a birthday party. _

_ Don’t you trust me? _

_ Sometimes Moody _

  
  


_ Fake Moody, _

_ I trust you about as far as I can throw you. _

_ Which is not that much. _

_ Also, I think the tests to see in my mind and the man-eating beasts speak for themselves. _

_ Tell your Lord that he sucks- if he’s up and living that is (because he won’t be for long). _

_ Heiress Farland-Slytherin. _

  
  


“Up late?” 

Lena looked over at the door from where she’d been sitting on the balcony, only giving Nicolas a glance before she turned her attention back to where she was watching the stars shine over the Eiffel Tower. “Well I’m not sleeping, am I?”

With a soft huff, the man sat down in the seat next to where she was curled up, looking out at the skyline. “I’ve noticed that you look sad when you think no one can see you.”

“I…” She sighed and rubbed at her face. “I’ve never felt like I was attached to one place. I’ve never really had a home- even Hogwarts is temporary- and Severus, well, he knows that I can fend for myself. And yet… I still feel as if something is missing. As if someone scooped out part of my heart and took it away from me.”

Nicolas nodded as if he understood. “I was living the same way- a half-life- before I met Perenelle. She is my everything. Our wands, minds, and hearts are connected and I do not think I would ever be able to leave her side willingly even if she asked me to.”

Lena looked over, eyebrows drawing together. “Your wands?”

“Twins. Same wood, same core.” The man winked, leaning forward to put his hands under his chin with a soft sigh she could only describe as ‘lovesick’. “Long past it was common to see twin wands in either the closest families or the best of lovers… but now? Now they are rare and the beauty has been all but forgotten.”

Slowly, she pulled out her wand, looking at it. Its white wood was stained with her blood in a line down the center, the stain not ever to come out, but it was the twin to Tom’s wand. 

To the wand that had killed her and then made her again into the person she was now.

“And yet, you either know this or have guessed it already… You have a soulmate wand?”

“I… I have the twin wand to the same insane man who is slowly coming back to try to rule Britain. I have the wand of a murderer, but I might be one too if I should go through with my plan to destroy him before he can kill me.” She stood up, stowing her wand away. “I think-... I think I should get some sleep.”

Nicolas laid a large hand on her arm gently, his eyes kind. “Nothing is black or white. If Fate has a plan, it will happen. I just hope you accept it when it does… I have seen these things end up in tragedy many times before.”

“Goodnight, Mister Flamel.” Pulling from his touch, she moved back to the small room she and Severus were sharing, moving to lay down before closing her eyes with a sigh and sinking into her mindscape.

Riddle stood in the center of what looked to be a rose garden, arms crossed. “Is it really so horrible a thought? Being our-... being _ my _ fated?”

Smiling softly at the boy, she moved forward to wrap her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder and waiting until his hands moved to settle around her before speaking. “No. No, it’s not you or the others I have a problem with, sweetheart. It’s more the fact that if I chose you I will forsake any redemption I could ever have, but if I don't, I am afraid that redemption would not mean anything... because I would have already lost you.”

“To me...” His voice was quiet, head lowered to murmur his words into her hair softly. “That sounds like an easy choice.”

“It would be, if not that I do not think I would live past the age of seventeen without destroying the part of you that seeks to kill me.” She wished she could stay in his arms forever, warm and safe, but she knew it was not her choice to make.

Riddle sighed softly, reaching up to run his fingers through her hair gently, nose brushing over the crest of her head. “It will be alright in the end… we will be alright in the end- but for now, let’s not think of such sad things. Come, cuddle with me.”

She chuckled softly as he pulled her to a sofa in the middle of the garden, shaking her head. “I should never have explained what ‘cuddling’ is. You’re a _ nuisance_.”

“You love me.”

“Even if I _ do_, I will never admit it.” Moving to lay beside Tom on the couch, she laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes, content in the way his arms wrapped around her. “Goodnight Tom.”

With a soft chuckle, she felt lips press a kiss to her forehead, his arms tightening just a bit to pull her closer. “Goodnight Lena.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I already completed my personal goal for NaNoWriMo (100000 words posted), I will probably be posting slower for the month of December, as I am finishing both my semester and this story ^-^ but not to worry, I probably won't give this up anytime soon.  
I know I'm super behind on responding to comments (ahhhhh), but I have read them and I love you all for being so supportive of this story <3  
Btw- no, Lena didn't know that was anything but a normal beetle ;)


	32. The Art of Finding The Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So um have some hurt/comfort- but backwards- comfort and fluff... and then I'm going to punch you in the feelings.  
^-^ Best Fun.

_ Dear Lena, _

_ Summer has been quite tiring- I find myself wishing you had stayed here, though I understand why you left. _

_ Lady Malfoy was over recently with Lady Greengrass and they all got drunk and I had to listen to an hour long conversation on how ‘pretty’ you were, so if you ever doubt that people like you, just ask one of them to take you shopping. Sheesh. _

_ I hope you’re studying, as we have our OWLs this next year and I know half of Slytherin is going to try to pick your brains as soon as we get back. _

_ Also, Theo says ‘hi’ and wanted you to know he’s staying with me this summer because he got tired of Malfoy Sr. In fact Draco’s over here more than not too, as he’s tired of having to play host to this new politician that’s apparently taking the Wizengamot by storm- Gaunt or something. _

_ Blaise. _

  
  


_ Dearest Zucchini, _

_ Sorry about my sudden trip, but I needed to take a break. I think the Dark Lord will soon come back into (some amount of) power, but while I’m studying with the Flamels, I’m also looking for a way to try to stop him. _

_ I hope that everyone is doing alright- are you talking to Janus? _

_ I’ve been getting a wonderful tan, as Perenelle says it’s a travesty to not be out when it’s sunny, but Severus always looks like a vampire because he burns easily and carries around a black umbrella. I think it’s hilarious along with the Flamels, but he says that I’m ‘insolent’ and ‘a brat’, which I suppose is nothing new :) _

_ My Gringotts account manager is sending me books through linked bags that he thinks would interest me on Severus’ request, so as well as getting to learn from a new culture and have a private tutor, I’m doing alright with my learning. _

_ Say hello to the boys for me, as I know anything I say to Theo will inevitably get to Daphne who will tell Ginny- and hug Draco for me. Politicians are never great guests and I feel his pain, especially as I know Mr. Gaunt likes to play mind games. _

_ ~Lena _

  
  


Perenelle taught her and Severus about anything they could think of- _ her and Lena having spent the last week on warding and special obscure runes, Perenelle advising that she should take up drawing- _ while Nicolas had them running dueling drills, teaching her battlefield medicine spells, but Saturdays were always a break (something about the seventh day of the week being sacred).

Severus usually disappeared to go find somewhere dark that had books so he could brood without her or the Flamels getting in the way of his reading or potion making and Nicolas was likely to be absorbed into his carvings all day, so she usually found herself walking the streets of Paris with Madame Flamel.

The sun was out, the light silk clothing she had on thankfully keeping her from sweating, but she didn't speak up or ask for a cooling charm as she walked next to the woman through the small marketplace. 

She knew that Perenelle had been told by her husband about the night on the balcony and wanted to ask about it, that much was obvious, but she was almost afraid of touching the conversation. 

So instead she occupied herself with looking through a small vendor's shop of pretty metalwork.

As she moved further into the magically expanded stall, a man walked past, bumping into her and she felt a comfortable heat bloom where his shoulder had made contact with her. Pausing, stunned by the feeling of_ warmth _and _safety_, she turned- only to find the man had disappeared.

_ "How… interesting." _

Frowning slightly, she shook her head and then turned back to the tables of finery, eyes seeming to be drawn to a simple gold chalice amid a bunch of silver plates. Moving to pick it up, she almost dropped it because of two reasons: One, it felt like the sun in her hands, pulsing happily as the obvious last consciousness part of Tom. Two, there had been a knock on her outer mental barrier, as if asking to be let in.

Riddle was silent for a moment. _ "Does this mean I'll have to share you?" _

_ Ha ha. Very funny. Better question: should I… let him in? Do you know what this one will be like? _

_ "He was probably made right after me. He might have a darker sense of humor because we did work as a shopkeep at the time… but he's probably better with people than the diary." _

_ Reassuring. _

Looking at the cup pulsing like a heartbeat in her hands, she went to the cashier's desk, holding the cup up slightly. "How much?"

The man at the counter blinked. "That's not one of mine- but I'll buy it off you!" He grabbed her wrist when she went to leave, the chalice clutched to her chest protectively. "How much money? I'll give you five galleons for it! You won't find a better price anywhere else!"

The chalice seemed to still in her hands, getting warmer as if enraged, and she hugged it tighter, shaking her head. "No. I'm not selling."

"I could report you as stealing, you know." The hand on her wrist tightened.

Using a tendril of her magic, she pushed it into one of his eyes so that she could get to his brain. "How? You can't even remember I was here…" The man's eyes turned a milky color and she took her wrist back, turning from the man but lingering at the entrance to the shop just out of Perenelle's sight. 

Another knock on her outer mind barriers.

Closing her eyes, she opened her outer defenses, feeling another presence seem to stroll in. 

_ "Hello, gorgeous… and somewhat younger version of myself." _

She felt a smile on her lips but ignored it for the sake of asking a real question. 

_ How am I going to tell you two apart? _

_ "How about you call me Riddle, as you’ve been doing that for a while anyway, and then he can be Tom." _

'Tom' seemed to scowl at this. _ "How come I get the boring name? 'Tom'. Hmph. What a stupid name." _

_ "Because I was here first. Deal with it." _

Lena rubbed at the bridge of her nose. Surely this was the last straw to driving her insane- voices arguing in her head and all… 

_ Maybe I can call you by a middle name? _

_ "Marvolo then. That would work well enough, thank you, angel." _

Riddle snorted, seeming irritated. _ "Stop being such a flirt. We get it. Lena's exceedingly precious, but that doesn't give you the right to just walk in here and-" _

_ Can we maybe save the male posturing for later, dears? I'm starting to get a headache and I should probably find a way to keep the cup on my person before finding Perenelle. Do you know it the enchantments and such will hold if I transfigure the cup into a ring? _

But as she thought this, the cup seemed to melt into a ring, and she blinked slowly at the crest of the gold ring. 

_Really?_ _Hufflepuff?_

_ "We wanted to complete the set, in a way… sorry about the headache, angel." _

_ "...He still gets on my nerves, but yeah, sorry about the headache dear one." _

Rolling her eyes, she slipped the ring on, moving to brush her thumb over the locket and then the ring. 

_ No worries, just maybe wait until I can lay down to talk out the issues between you two? _

When she got the mental equivalent of nods from them both, she adjusted the bag on her shoulder and left the shop, smiling faintly at where Perenelle was waiting patiently for her. "Mind if we head back? I’m starting to get a headache."

"Sure." The woman smiled gently at her and they walked in silence until out of the marketplace, the noise dying down around them as they got further away.

Finally having enough of the woman's side glances, she stopped and turned to the immortal. "What? You want to ask me something… what is it?"

Perenelle sighed, waving to a bench and they both sat down. "I know about your fated and the twin wands- otherwise known as 'soulmate wands' and, well, I was wondering if your reluctance to meet your fated in the middle has more to do with the fact that he did something in the past to people you don't even know… or if you fear what he could do to the family you've built in the present?"

"You know the answer." Lena looked away with a wane smile. "If you have been paying attention at all… you should know that my family and my House will always come first."

"Before potential happiness?" When she made to stand and walk away, Perenelle stood as well, arms raised slightly. "Sorry- too far, I know… but at least say that you'll keep your mind open? I know that sometimes things work out in strange ways and I don't want to see you be unhappy, as you really are brilliant."

She nodded slowly. “I will try my best."

The woman smiled, seeming relieved, and they had a quiet walk back to the small townhouse that was much more comfortable than before as they slipped into a discussion on drawing and its importance in both rune and warding patterns.

Her mindscape was back to being a large library, the grand bookshelves towering overhead as she padded silently through the shelves to where she knew that the small area of couches and armchairs would be waiting.

Humming softly, she let her fingertips brush against the spines of her book-shaped memories, pulling out a thick tome especially on the other parts of Riddle, and flipping through it while she walked.

Lena knew her mind was making the trip to her outer defenses longer because of her trepidation, but not long enough, as it seemed when she turned the last page of the book and it disappeared- she was standing on the edge of a circle of couches.

Riddle was a familiar sight- neat robes and perfectly styled hair, brown eyes holding the faintest tint of crimson in their depths.

However the other figure was different, if just slightly. In worn robes- but not obviously so, like that of a uniform- the older boy's slightly longer hair seemed to be styled with the intent to have a hand run through it, thin reading glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. It gave off a slightly ruffled look but in a dignified (and admittedly, slightly adorable) way.

With a smile, she moved to hold out a hand to 'Marvolo'. "Nice to finally meet you in person."

"And who stands before me but an angel sent from heaven?" Her hand was forgotten and instead, she found herself wrapped in an embrace, his voice like honey as he draped himself over her as if trying to consume her very being into his. "What a magnificent creature I have here before me. I wonder if I should not just keep you here in my arms, never to leave..."

Riddle huffed from behind her and she could tell he was crossing his arms with a scowl. 

She let Marvolo cling to her, smoothing her hand over his back gently, as she knew that every one of the memories had each been lonely to begin with and that they needed the contact like she needed water. "Why don't we, and I mean all three of us, sit together?"

"I refuse to go anywhere near_ him._" 

Lena looked at where Riddle was brooding. "Darling…" When he refused to meet her eyes she sighed and pushed Marvolo away gently so she could move to sit in an armchair by herself, looking between the two. “What’s the issue here? It’s literally your older self.”

“Not really.” The younger of the two sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, while Marvolo just looked amused as he leaned back against a nearby sofa. “The reason that we started to separate our consciousness parts was that each part was something we were trying to get away from… The diary was the childish aspects, the ring was the want for family, I was the want for companionship. If what I remember of the planning is true, the chalice,” a glare was sent to Marvolo who just grinned, “would be the_ greedy _aspect. If what you’ve told me is true, the diadem was probably our fascination with the world around us.”

“You mean you separated yourself so there was nothing but anger, spite, and madness left? No wonder Voldemort was left with nothing but insanity… he literally couldn’t understand a single thing around himself.” She sunk back in the armchair, taking this in before she looked back to Riddle. “But why does Marvolo bother you so much?”

He sighed.

Marvolo just grinned even wider, a little maniacally. “Because if I had the choice, I would steal you away from him in a second… a treasure like you would never leave my arms if I had any power here.”

She arched a single eyebrow at him, before glancing to Riddle. “As much as I sort of understand why you wouldn’t like him, I still don’t understand why you won’t both compromise. Because it’s either that or I leave to go read.”

“...Fine.” 

Lena smiled and moved to the couch Riddle was sitting on, leaning against him and closing her eyes tiredly, feeling Marvolo sit down next to her. Shifting so her legs were across Marvolo’s lap, she leaned back against Riddle and sighed softly as his arms wrapped around her. “See?” Her voice was soft, eyes having a hard time staying open, though her lips quirked up slightly. “Sharing is caring.”

Marvolo chuckled, hands warm against her shins. “What a strange and fascinating concept for such a complex treasure… I suppose I can accept this, if only because he is me...” 

“That’s the _ only _reason I didn’t kick you in the face the second I saw you.” 

She giggled under her breath, laying her head back on Riddle’s shoulder with eyes closed as she listened to the two snipe at each other, slowly falling asleep- sure she was safe with the two voices in her head.

It was a quiet day outside in the small garden that Perenelle tended to- Severus reading under his black umbrella, the Flamels being a sickeningly adorable couple in where they were curled up together under a glass pavilion, and her ‘meditating’ from her spot laying in the grass (which was sort of code for ‘being squished in between Riddle and Marvolo in her mindscape’).

Riddle was reading a memory of one of the books on muggle psychology that she’d read a long time ago, while Marvolo wrapped himself around her like a limpet. 

“You’re warm.”

“And here I thought you were the warm one.” She turned her head to smile at the boy with the longer hair, a few strands falling into his face.

“I mean it.” His eyes were intense in the way that all of the parts seemed to all share, twisting her stomach, and he looked at her as if trying to see into her soul. “It’s like wrapping my arms around a being of pure sunshine, angel… I never want to let go- just keep you here so I don’t feel the cold when you’re not with me.”

Lena blinked slightly, twisting so she was half sitting in his lap and frowning slightly. “Wait- but I feel the same thing- hence why I’m so okay with you lot being so touchy.”

“Maybe it’s part of the soulmate wand thing.” Riddle’s voice was soft, eyes still on his book. “It’s something that probably happened with all of us- did you ever have skin contact with Quirrell?”

She shook her head. “We talked a few times but I can’t remember ever even shaking his-... Well, he did carry me back to Hogwarts, but it was never skin contact. Even then I had my cloak on… though I do remember him being a warm presence too.”

Marvolo raised an eyebrow.

“He was hosting the shade of Voldemort and he stared at me a lot” She waved it off. “But anyway, that’s not the point. The point is that apparently either that means that this ‘bond’ between us either is overriding my touch intuition or my intuition is telling me that of the pieces of you- including the part that tried to kill me as a child- are completely trustworthy.”

At this Riddle looked up with a raised eyebrow. “Touch intuition?”

Lena blinked slowly. “I must have not told you… I can tell if a person is a danger to me by touch. Bad intentions are more painful while family and friends are warmer or lighter feelings.”

Marvolo’s arms moved to encircle her, his chin resting on her head as she was once again consumed by his larger frame. “This is why we’re never letting you go, precious. You’re much too special.”

Riddle ignored Marvolo, like usual. “It could be either, as I haven’t heard of that type of gift before so I don’t have a basis to rely on… But I doubt that your senses would lie to you just because of our wand match. It’s more likely that we all don’t hold any ill will towards you.”

She considered this, before nodding and relaxing slightly. “Yeah, I guess if Squirrelmort had any ill will towards me at the time I would have been killed… so that makes sense.”

Marvolo and Riddle shared a look of exasperation between themselves that she ignored for the sake of it probably being something she didn’t want to know- evil overlord stuff or something like that.

_ Lena-bean, _

_ Blaise told me you’re worried about me, so I might as well write to tell you how it’s going. You know how Mr. Crouch disappeared mysteriously? Well, the same happened to Bagman, so, for now, I’m running the International Magical Co-operation department. _

_ It’s a lot of work, but thankfully Gemma (who told me to say hello) is by my side to be amazing and lessen some of the workload. _

_ Also, I heard a rumor from Marcus, who went into the Auror Corps, that the Under-secretary to the Minister is going to be the Defence Professor this next year. Umbridge. She’s a nasty piece of work and from my sources, she seems to hate Muggles more than even any ex-Death Eater, so watch out for her- she gives me the creeps. _

_ It’s a bit strange, but I thought you’d like to know- the insane followers of Voldemort from the third war that were locked up in Azkaban have been slowly disappearing from the prison and showing up dead. Just a few weeks ago Peter Pettegrew showed up in a shady part of Knockturn. No one I know is sure, but some are saying it's a vigilante… but there’s also rumors it’s the Dark Lord himself. _

_ Please stay safe Lena and make sure to stay close to the Flamels and Snape. _

_ On a slightly better note, Rita Skeeter has also disappeared, but I suspect you might already know that. _

_ Janus Carr _

  
  


_ Carr-mell, _

_ Attached is a stylish brooch for you that will make people more open to trusting you as well as a copy of my Hungarian ring that should help with Minister Oblansk, in congratulations on your promotion. Give a hug to Gemma for me. _

_ I’ve sent off a letter to Marcus thanking him for the heads-up, and I will keep an eye on this ‘Umbridge’ woman. _

_ I will inform Severus about the Death Eaters and of Peter Pettegrew… and I will keep myself safe, though you of all people should know that I can handle myself should the need arise. _

_ Interesting Rita’s gone. Not that it matters much to me- good riddance. _

_ Perhaps we should meet up in Hogsmeade sometime this year? I would love to spend some time talking, as I’ve missed you. _

_ ~Lena _

“Severus.” Lena sat on the edge of her bed, legs crossed with her favorite cashmere shawl that she’d borrowed from Perenelle and had no intention to give back wrapped around her shoulders, staring out the window at the end of the room. 

The locket and ring were on her pillow, as she didn’t want to have this conversation with them in her head.

The man hummed from his bed across the room, eyes closed, but awake in the still darkness.

“The Dark Lord is alive. He’s coming back... if he hasn’t already.”

Severus propped himself up on an elbow to stare at her for a long moment. “What… Lena? How do you know this?”

She looked away from him, out the window at the gleaming city illuminated by the moon. “He had a plan for me, same with Dumbledore. So I tried my best to play them both… But Albus is old enough to need medicinal lemon drops and all he can do is protect the castle that's become his home… so I think I made a mistake.”

“Lena?”

“I stole the Philosopher’s stone first year and when I found out that Moody was a Death Eater in disguise-” she heard a sharp inhale of breath, “I gave him the stone and a vial of my blood in hopes that if I had to give it, then the Dark Lord would come back saner than before if I gave it to him willingly...” Finally holding up Janus’ letter from where she’d been holding it since she’d sat down after dinner, trying to build up the confidence to tell the man what she’d done, Lena swallowed thickly. “Janus tells me that he’s killing off his more insane followers. Cleaning up shop. And I- I think that I might have created something more dangerous than I thought.” 

Slowly, the man stood up, moving to the window and taking a deep breath, putting his forehead against the glass. 

Lena felt her lips tremble when she saw by the faint light of the moonlight that the man was crying. “I- I’m sorry...”

“You’re not going back.” His fist curled tightly against the window. “You can stay with the Flamels, they’ll protect you. Or- or better yet I’ll get in contact with Albus and he’ll find a place with one of his trusted friends in Asia. Or America. We’ll get you away from-”

Her eyes closed against the tears. “I cant.”

“Lena…”

“I can’t, because I have to take responsibility for what I did. I have to destroy him. I’m the only one who can.”

Severus spun around. “No- no you can’t be the only one, no that’s what Aurors are for. Please, leave that to the adults.”

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “You know I can’t.”

“Lena- Lena _you_ know I can’t lose you.” He moved to kneel before her, hands shaking. “You know that I’ll never force you to do anything- even if I could- but please… please Lena, just this once, run away from the danger. For my sake.”

Shaking her head, she brought her hand up to muffle a sob, putting her head down so their foreheads were touching. “I’m sorry. I- I'm so very sorry... Forgive me.”

His breathing was ragged, reaching up to put his hand on her head gently. “I-... will you do me one thing? Just one- please Lena…” When she swallowed thickly and nodded, he took a shaky breath. “Please, please, let me keep you safe- just for a little longer- just until you turn seventeen. Just live that long so I can know that I did what I could to help you have the life you deserve?”

“Yeah.” She took a small breath at his visceral breath of relief. “Yeah, I’ll do that... We’ll be okay. It’ll all be okay. I swear...”

She felt as if she was lying to him, saying those words.

_ But she would do that, live to the age of seventeen… _

_ If just so that maybe Severus would be alright when she inevitably decided to destroy herself by killing the one man she could have loved. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not crying, you are... okay, yeah I'm crying too ;v;  
But- *clears throat*- can we get a 'hell yeah' for Marvolo?  
Lena's going to go crazy with two Horcruxes in her head, especially as they seem to like to argue


	33. The Art of Predicting the Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ^-^ Can I please stop existing?

Perenelle stilled Lena's hand where she was about to add a whole flobberworm to her potion, a small frown on her face. “You’re distracted, Lena.”

Slowly putting the wiggling worm to the side, she put her palm down against the table so she could feel the chilled surface against her warm skin. “I don’t-... I wasn’t raised on fairy tales with a mother that would sit down and feed me homemade cookies, tell me that one day I would fall in love with a white knight that would sweep me off my feet. Jack would barely talk of his wife, so I don’t…” She trailed off.

“What’s on your mind, young one?” The woman moving around the bench to sit beside her on a stool, taking one of her hands gently, her skin in dark contrast with Lena’s lighter tan. “What is bothering you so much you’re messing up your potions, because if we don’t take it off your mind then Severus might have an aneurysm and ban you from the lab until it’s time for you to go back.”

Lips quirking at the thought- Severus would surely be furious, as he was on one of his hypervigilance kicks where he literally followed her everywhere while worrying needlessly- Lena let herself sigh softly. 

_ “Is this about the conversation you had with your godfather, angel?” _

_ It is. _

“I have my doubts.” She looked to the side, smiling slightly bitterly. “Unlike what some might think, I'm not sure of everything. In fact, I’m not sure about _anything_ when it comes to Voldemort. I don’t know why Albus hasn’t done anything if his old enemy has risen, I don’t understand why the evil bastard-”

_ “Rude.” _

“-hasn’t just killed me yet…” Lena frowned, not knowing how to explain why thinking about the whole thing made her head hurt and her heart ache strangely, so she just oversimplified it for the sake of not mincing words. “It’s all very upsetting to me not to know where to put my pieces on the chessboard. Usually, to me, both sides are easy to see.”

Perenelle smiled. “Usually you do not know your opponents as well, or care as much.”

Lena furrowed her eyebrows. “My emotions are tainting my decisions?” 

“Well, yes, but that’s not always a bad thing.” The woman’s smile was soft, sappy in a way when she only got when talking of her husband. “I find that there is no losing side between two people in love. Not with simple games like yours.” Then with a wink, the woman added a sprinkle of moonstone to her potion and walked off towards the front of the house, humming under her breath.

Severus emerged from the staircase, raising his eyebrow when he saw her standing still staring at the place the woman had left. “Lena? Everything alright?”

She nodded absently, huffing softly and turning back to her cauldron. “Perry just decided to impart me with a puzzling riddle, is all.”

_ “Ha- I get it. ‘Riddle.’” _

_ “Exceptionally bad pun, dear.” _

_ I wasn't trying to make it a pun. _

“You have your notes?” 

Lena rolled her eyes, back turned away from the man, calmly packing her bag as the dour Potions Master ran around. “Yes.”

The man shoved more of his books in his bag. “And your clothes? All your dresses Perenelle got you? Shirts, shoes, trousers, and- er- underthings?”

“Mhmm.” She folded the Cashmere sweater, smiling slightly as she packed it away. “I made a checklist days ago and methodically cleaned up all my stuff while you were being suspicious of every person that walked into Nick’s shop and lurking around like a bat.”

Severus huffed, moving to collect his scattered notes and notebooks. “And your blankets on the deck?”

Lena rolled her eyes again. Harder. “Yes, _ Dad_.”

Her body deemed it a perfect time to cringe in mortification, seeing the man also freeze out of the corner of her eyes.

He cleared his throat, purposefully not looking her way, starting to pack again, though it was decidedly less frantic and more automatic as if his body had gone into autopilot in the face of foreign territory. “If you…”

“I want to forget I said that.” Her voice was a whisper, seeing him twitch a bit and grimacing at her bag. “I mean, not tha-”

“It’s okay.” Turning, Severus smiled dryly at her, she could see it in her peripheral vision. “I never wanted kids anyway.”

That…

She had been about to say that she wasn’t comparing him to Jack, that she wanted to take it back because of the timing, and that she wished it had been something they could have talked about first…

But now it just felt as if she’d been punched.

Except worse, something raw chafing the very inside of her chest.

Lena smiled lopsidedly, the action feeling as wrong as it used to feel when she was in the orphanage. “Exactly. You never wanted kids.” Taking her bag, she tried to be relaxed as she turned, but her whole body felt stiff still. 

Wrong.

So she tried for a normal jab of teasing, keeping her lopsided and broken smile. “Don’t forget your socks.”

“I already packed them.” Severus’ voice sounded wrong too, stiffer than it had been around her since she’d been a first-year.

Taking the loss, she nodded jerkily and then moved to escape the room.

_ Of course, I had to go and mess everything up. _

_ “He is like your father already, so why would he not accept you?” _

_ Don't know. Still sucks as much. _

Riddle, as always was ready with the logical advice:_ “Kill him.” _

Ignoring the supposed ‘voice of reason’, she moved into the empty kitchen and made it look as if she was searching for something of hers.

_No... no, i_ __t’_s okay. He might not feel as if he has the skill, being as his father was not the kindest to him. And that’s alright. It’s okay. _

_ “Angel, you said that already.” _

_ I’m trying to convince myself. Mock me and I’ll throw you in a river. _

_ “Do it. I’ll happily support this idea.” _

Marvolo made a noise of exaggerated offense_. “Hey! You two are teaming up on me!” _

Lips turning into a smile against her will as they started to bicker like children, she stood and turned, leaning against the counter to find Nicolas smiling at her. 

“Looking for something?” Then he grinned and held up her set of knives that the Flamels had gotten her in preparation for her Mastery.

The knives she’d forgotten that she’d forgotten.

Making an ‘oh!’ face, she moved to grab them with a smile. “Thanks, Nick, I thought I was missing them but forgot where I’d put them.” Hearing the stairs creak, she grabbed the Immortal’s hand, starting to pull him to the front door. “Oh, we best find Perenelle, because-”

Tugging on her arm to stop her short, the man raised a bushy eyebrow, angular face questioning. “You’re avoiding Severus.”

“I am not.”

“And why are you not waiting for him then?”

Lena worried at her lip, but as she was about to sigh and give in, the lanky man’s black-robed form brushed past them briskly. “Come. We will be late.”

Nick’s eyebrows shot up to his forehead, eyes glancing to where she was looking away before he frowned deeply. “Snape!” His voice was commanding and she noticed the black-robbed man stop.

“What.”

“You and Lena will not leave this house fighting. Get over whatever you two are irritated about and make up or you _ will _miss your portkey.”

She rubbed at the bridge of her eyes. “Nicolas, please. It’s nothing. I said something that I shouldn’t have and set him off. He has every right to be irritated.”

“‘_Set him off _ ’? You were the one freezing up and getting all stiff with me!” The man spun around with a deep scowl on his face. “Like I’m some stranger! I’m not going to put up with that icy exterior from you! I’m not some _ peasant _you push away like that!”

Lena narrowed her eyes. “And what- I have to be sweet and nice to you when you’re acting like I’m some charity case you were obligated to take in? Because I have to be _ reminded _ that I’m _ not wanted_?!”

Severus’ face twisted in aggravated confusion. “You don’t get to say things like that when you’re just going to dismiss me as part of your family! When you get to just pretend like you can rip that away from me!”

This was all going wrong. 

But he continued, hands clenched and eyes wild. “Have I not given you a home?! Have I not-”

“YOU’RE _NOT _ _ JACK_!”

The man stilled, seeming to not even breathe before his face descended into a sneer. “Of course. Because I’ll _never_ live up to the man that raised you. Not the _ perfect _Jack Farla-”

“Shut up. You’re wrong.” Lena pinched harder at the bridge of her nose, staving off the tears she didn’t want to have to shed. “It’s not that. It’s because I’d never compare you to him. And you’ll never be your father.” Gripping her bag, she moved to the door to the shop, their shoulders in a line even though they were facing different ways.

It was reminiscent of the second year, when he still thought her a monster, in a way that hurt her heart.

“...you shouldn’t have to doubt your ability to raise me because of one word. Not when you’ve done well without it.”

She moved to walk away, as she had done three years ago, but this time arms caught her and she was yanked into a black-robed chest, hugged tight.

If she could call it a hug.

It felt as if he was trying to suffocate her.

“I’m not going to be left behind, nor am I some idiot that’ll give you back to the orphanage.” Severus’ voice shook slightly. “I never wanted kids, but I have one now… so I’ll find a way to deal with it.”

Lena sniffed haughtily, trying to pretend that she didn’t have wet eyes. “Idiot.”

“Demon.”

Pushing him away, she straightened out her robes, looking up as she tried not to cry. “I hate you, you know. I’m definitely going to poison your tea.”

With a wobbly smirk, the man reached into his pocket, pulling out a bezoar. “Potion Master, remember?”

“Oh just cry and hug each other already!” Perenelle yelled at them with a grin, leaning back against her bigger husband with a fond smile on her face, Nicolas’ arms wrapped around her waist.

Huffing slightly, she sniffed once and then moved to latch onto the taller man. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”

A thin potion-stained hand patted her head affectionately. “It’s okay… we’re okay.”

_ Thank Merlin for meddling Immortals. _

_ “I think that should be your new catchphrase, dear.” _

_ And that means? _

_ “It’s a surprise, angel.” _

Rolling her eyes where no one could see it, she sighed lightly. _ Just try not to kill anyone with your plotting. I hate cleaning up blood. _

Daphne and Blaise had gotten the position of ‘Prefect’ (as she was already technically part of the staff) so Theo, Ginny, Draco, and her sat quietly in their compartment and caught up on the gossip while sharing stories about their summers. Luna joined them not long after, having been driven from her own compartment by the ‘popular’ Ravenclaws, and they accepted her easily into their space.

However, when Lena was halfway through a story about how she’d found the Hufflepuff house ring for Daphne, Luna looked at her with big blue eyes and interrupted her, voice soft but certain. “I see you have completed the set. Good. You will need the support this year to remember that pain is only temporary.”

_ “This is the girl who you thought was the Seer, correct?” _

_ Yeah. _

Marvolo sounded a bit like he did when he wanted to squeeze her tightly and never let go. _ “You know a seer? And she’s just giving out tips to you? What did we ever do to deserve you, angel?” _

_ “Speak for yourself, Casanova.” _

_ Shush, both of you. You’re both very sweet, but I should be talking to the seer, remember? _

Then, ignoring the hissed words of vitriol between the two as they both tried to shush each other, she blinked at Luna. “You know about the set I’m collecting? And what do you mean by pain?”

“I know that your set is complete and pain is only temporary. Plus, I think that the elder Malfoy will help lead them here when it’s time.”

Draco blinked. “My father? Help to lead _ who_?”

Luna smiled brightly. “The collective, of course!” Then the girl turned to her bright magazine and left Lena’s brain to go in a thousand directions at once, wondering what the cryptic messages meant.

_ "I see this year's going to be interesting…" _

Sitting down at the head of the Slytherin table, Lena looked to the Head Table, her eyes finding a woman in all pink who looked a bit like a fat pale toad and had a pink bow in her hair.

_ That's Umbridge if I had to guess. _

Marvolo snorted. _ “She looks atrocious.” _

_ “I wonder if she eats flies? Toads cannot eat human food, so why does she have a plate in front of herself? Surely she’s not trying to fool anyone, no one would really believe her human...” _ Riddle’s voice was a sneer, disdain dripping from every word. _ “I would bet good money that’s she’s going to be the source of this ‘pain’ Miss Lovegood talked of.” _

Lena tilted her head just a bit, clapping absentmindedly along with the rest of Slytherin when a first-year was sorted. _ Maybe she’s not that bad, after all, Janus has never liked the color pink anyway. _

_ “You may hold out hope angel, but I doubt that woman has a good bone in her whole body… No worries though. We’re here to keep an eye on her for you, precious!” _

_ Thanks, dear. _

She smiled down at her plate when the food was served, brushing her thumb against the ring. 

_ But as you are a voice in my head, that might be a bit hard. _

Riddle chuckled softly, but it was dark in a way that sent shivers down her spine. _ “We have our ways, lovely… we have our ways.” _

“Hey Lena, are you doing your Potions tests this year?” Ginny leaned over to her with a hesitant smile and big puppy dog eyes. “Because I tried to get the twins to help me with potions, but they’ve been busy making pranks and such all summer with Charlie’s uncles. I swear those four are trouble- they died my hair all manner of different colors testing their stupid pranks until I set them straight by covering them in snakes!”

“I’ll help you, and if needed I can talk to Severus about private lessons, as I know he usually has the extra time before dinner.” 

Theo leaned over, giving her an exaggerated pout.

Lena sighed. “And I’ll help you out with Charms, I guess.”

Dumbledore stood, the hall quieting, and she looked up to smile at the man in the lime robes with orange stars on them.

_ “A travesty of an old man. If he weren’t so powerful…” _Marvolo mused.

_ “If he wasn’t so powerful we would have killed him long ago.” _

She didn’t let that bother her. 

_ I don’t doubt it. _

“Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention. We have had a change in staffing this year. We are delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.” Dumbledore continued, “Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the-” He broke off, looking at Umbridge, who as Lena was closest to the Head table, had heard the small _ ‘hem hem’ _ the woman gave as if clearing her throat.

Blaise’s face curled into a disdainful sneer.

Again the toad made the same noise, “Hem, hem,” and it became clear that she wanted to make a speech. 

Dumbledore looked to Lena with a look as if to say _ ‘oh, this should be interesting’_, before sitting down and motioning for the woman to speak, even as the rest of the staff seemed to decide to hate Umbridge as a unanimous whole because of it.

“Thank you, Headmaster,” Professor Umbridge didn’t sound thankful in the slightest, “for those kind words of welcome.”

Lena licked her lips, trying to restrain the absolute loathing she had for the woman’s voice- like that of the fake little girls that would cut her hair in the orphanage because they were jealous of it. 

“Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!” The woman smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. “And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!” 

_ “No one in this whole hall is happy.” _

_ “No one in her mere presence _can _be happy… Yes, I think I will be right about this horrible woman.” _

“I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I’m sure we’ll be very good friends!” 

Students giggled and whispered to themselves at this, but the Slytherins were silent, either understanding the type of controlling narcissist the woman was... or at least seeing the dark look on her face and guessing she knew something they didn’t. 

Professor Umbridge cleared her throat again (“Hem, hem”). “The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching.” Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to her fellow staff members, none of whom bowed back. “Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress’s sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation . . .” 

_ So she is a traditionalist. And probably a sadistic one too, if she is making everyone have to look at her clothes. I mean Dumbledore has bad fashion taste, sure, but he doesn’t know any better. This is on purpose. _

_ “I think we should enlist your godfather to help us drive her out, as he seems to dislike her just as much.” _

Her eyes drifted to where Snape was scowling deeply, meeting his eyes as he looked at her and offering up an eye-roll to which he smirked slightly.

“. . . because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited.” 

Finally, the woman sat down, but Lena did not clap, nor did her court- as surely they had all noticed the words _ ‘pruning whatever practices we find that ought to be prohibited.’ _

The Slytherin table sat, still, as the rest of the houses clapped because they were not listening and did not understand the woman was here to leach them of everything good Hogwarts had to offer.

Umbridge’s eyes narrowed on her table, before sliding to her and narrowing even further.

Lena met the woman’s gaze, tilting her head slightly and then slowly and deliberately throwing up a quick two-finger salute, making Theo and Blaise grin sharply from her side.

Dumbledore was speaking about something related to Quidditch, but Umbridge stood and pointed a finger at her as if going to smite her down. “Detention, Miss Potter, for disrespecting a teacher like such!”

The hall fell silent.

“Oh, but I think you must be mistaken… I would never do that to a Professor.” Her smile was pleasant, if not a bit sharp around the edges, hands in her lap.

“Miss Umbridge, if you do not have another witness to this ‘disrespect’ you are talking about, then sit and let the Headmaster speak.” Severus raised a sharp eyebrow at the woman, all the other teachers looking away when the woman in pink looked around.

Glaring at her, the toad huffed and sat down.

Dumbledore winked at her, going on to give a warning about the Forbidden Forest before dismissing them. 

Marvolo sounded a bit put out. _ “Great. Now you’re going to make me like the old man…” _

_ “It’s hard not to when with Lena. He _ is _ frustratingly likable through her eyes.” _ Riddle agreed_. _

She grinned at her house, hands in her pockets as she strolled out of the hall, Daphne and Blaise rounding up the first-years.

_ Oh, yes, he’s quite funny sometimes. I really do adore the old man. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey loves.  
I'm not sure if y'all are going to read this, but I just have a sort of personal message. I know that you want more material and I'm not going to give up on this story, but I hope everyone understands if I don't post as often this month. Wintertime is usually pretty rough for me in general and since I'm really scraping by on the energy to just get through the day this year I had been putting most of my motivation into completing NaNoWriMo and now I have to transition a bit and put that energy into not failing my classes.  
I appreciate you all and will be back to posting more when I'm done with the semester.  
Have a wonderful day/night!


	34. The Art of the Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sat down and suffered through a research paper so I could let myself post this as a reward ^-^ be proud of me  
(I feel sort of amused I'm using positive rewards on myself, but hey, if it works...)  
Also, please don't shoot me for taking the chance to make the title a bad joke :)

The first year introductions went quite as they had the last few years, only, for the second time in a row, no one questioned her position as Queen.

As the common room calmed down with many students going to unpack, Blaise and Daphne moving to help the first-years to their rooms and answering questions, she turned to the journal she’d gotten from Perenelle and turned to a sketch she’d been doing of Marvolo and Riddle sitting on opposite ends of a couch, both looking as if they were staring at her out of the page.

_ “You really like drawing us, angel~… are we that important to occupy all your thoughts?” _

_ Well, you two never let me forget that you’re in my head, so yeah. Plus I can admit you’re both relatively handsome. _

She smiled, shading the couch’s shadow slightly and using her finger to get the right texture.

_ S_ _ometimes. _

“That’s really very good.” Ginny leaned over her shoulder, eyes wide. “Tom’s older here, right? Both of them? I like him with long hair...”

Snapping the journal shut, she looked at the girl. “Ginevra. What is it?”

The girl grinned, unaffected by the use of her first name. “It? Well, _ it _ looked like a picture of two versions of Tom sitting beside each other and looking incredibly fit… but then again, I could just be seeing things.”

“_Oh__?_” Daphne drifted over, snatching the journal and flipping through the pages, eyes widening. “Lena! These are-… I know a few girls who would pay for a commission of one of these- or Merlin- Blaise’s mom would just eat these up! Is this Tom? That mystery guy? Because he’s _ hot_.”

“Maybe.” She snatched the journal back, scowling as she kept it to herself. “But my sketches are private.”

_ “How sweet…” _

_ “Should we be flattered, dearest?” _

Lena flushed just slightly, gripping the journal tightly. 

_ Shut up. _

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Even _if _ Tom gave me his permission to allow me to give out my drawings of him… I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that. My work is my own and his figure is _his_ own- he just lets me use him as my muse.”

Daphne and Ginny shared a look, both nodding and backing off slightly, even as Daphne grinned widely. “If you ever think differently, maybe he’d be okay with a more… _ risque _ drawing session if you know what I mean?”

_ “I think that we would be-” _

“Nope.” She now felt herself flush fully, stopping that thought in its tracks. “No thank you.” When the girl opened her mouth, Lena narrowed her eyes. "We are _friends_."

Both nodded, looking chastised, and after a moment Ginny smiled weakly. “Anyone ever tell you your eyes glow when you’re mad?”

Lena smirked cruelty, making her eyes flash bright red as she’d learned to do in the orphanage, the two girls turning as white as a sheet. “I don’t think you have ever seen me get mad… not _ really _.” Then she turned on her heel. “I’m going to turn in for the night. Chocolate is on the table, along with the nightmare journal.”

As she had her NEWTs for Ancient Runes already and she was yet to test out of Potions- meaning she wasn’t allowed to be in the potion lab- Lena found herself sitting in the empty astronomy tower and sketching the Dark Mark absently on a piece of paper in the back of her journal. 

_ “What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” _Riddle spoke gently, knowing something was bothering her as if it was instinctual.

Finishing the rough sketch, she shrugged and put the journal aside, leaning her back against the cool stone. “I think that with every day that passes I would be more content to destroy myself than lose you two… I know that I am a fool, but there have to be other people that could talk to you, people who would be more than happy to keep you two entertained...”

_ “Angel...” _

Riddle seemed to find his words better than Marvolo, who just seemed at a loss. _ “The thing is, dear, none of the others before us have been able to do anything but get possessed by us. None of them hear us. Not even with occlumency- though those few did have a better time resisting us… We wouldn’t trade our time with you for anything in the world, beloved, much less another person.” _

_ “We have both spent a lot of time alone, so there will be no hard feelings when you chose to destroy us, as we will be going back to where we belong.” _

“I don’t want to.” She closed her eyes, feeling unsteady and hating it. “I don’t want to have to hurt those I care about anymore.”

Riddle nodded. _ “I understand… but it has to be done eventually, love, and you are the best person to do it.” _

Nodding, but not saying anything more, she just stayed silent and watched the clouds drift across the sky.

Umbridge was sitting behind the teacher's desk when she walked into the defense classroom and took a seat at the back, opening up a book on hexes that Nicolas had given her with advice on keeping up the physical training she’d been doing with Fake-Moody the year before.

The class slowly filled, but she stayed reading, not even looking up when the woman started to speak her nonsense about ‘fractured teaching’ and ‘ministry approved curriculum’.

“Hem hem.” 

Lena moved her hand to her pocket so she could hold up a cough drop, still not looking away from her book. “Need one?”

“Miss Potter, such books are not allowed in my classroom. Put it away before I take it, as you have yet to copy down the course aims.”

“And why would I do that?” She looked up at the woman flatly. “I am allowed, by Dumbledore’s approval, to do my own study in classes where I am either ahead or that I feel as if the teacher cannot teach me anything of value. And if your curriculum is as far as I have seen, I think both apply in this situation.”

With beady eyes narrowing on her, the woman glared meanly and held out a hand. “I think that for your insolence, I will be taking that book from you.”

Shoving her book in her bag and quickly activating the runes so that it- and the rest of her important items- were sent to her room, she held open her bag to show a few pieces of parchment and a few quills, smiling grimly up at Umbridge. “Oops. It looks like my book disappeared…”

“Detention, Miss Potter.”

Lena tilted her head. “Question- are you actually able to give Lily Potter a detention?”

Umbridge blinked, really mimicking a toad in her confusion. “What?”

“Lily Potter. She’s the only ‘Miss Potter’ I know and I was wondering if you can actually give a grown woman detention. If you were trying to give _ me _detention… well, my name is Lena Farland.”

“A week’s worth of detention, Miss Farland, starting this evening!”

Her jaw clenched, about to say something about the woman obviously having a power complex because of her ugly face-

_ “Dearest, please consider not provoking the teacher?” _

Taking a deep breath, she let it out in a soft sigh and nodded, sitting back in her chair and taking out a slip of parchment paper. With a glance at the woman, she wrote up a note to go to Severus and the Slytherin message board.

“What are you doing now, Miss Farland?!”

Tapping the note with her wand, it disappeared. She tilted her head. “What do you mean? I was writing.”

The woman hissed like she was a toad teapot releasing steam. “Lies! This is a trick to undermine me! Another week’s detention!” 

_ “Angel… Didn’t we ask you not to antagonize the toad?” _

_ I had to get the word out not to follow my example and to tread carefully… plus, this will tell me just how bad she is. I bet Severus could take my other detentions if it doesn’t go well. _

Lena stared at the woman, then nodded. “As you wish.”

At dinner she passed out the word that Umbridge may be someone to watch out for before crossing, using the house elves to send notes to those in the other houses that would actually listen to her, knowing that by the end of the day word would have circulated the school.

At promptly five o’clock, she knocked softly on the door to the Defence Professor’s office, entering when Umbridge bid her come in.

The office was pained an ugly pink, lace and frilly things that she knew even Daphne wouldn’t touch seeming to line every inch of the office.

She was staring at the wall in which every surface had ornamental plates featuring kittens wearing bows when the woman spoke up. “Good evening, Miss Farland.”

Lena blinked at the sheer abomination of an office before she turned to look at the woman who was wearing clothing that was only a shade off of matching the horrendous walls. “Evening.”

“The correct response is: ‘Good evening Professor Umbridge.’” When she repeated the words in a monotone voice, the woman waved to a small writing desk to the side of the room. “Well sit down.” 

Doing as told at the small table covered in lace with a single piece of parchment, she looked at the woman boredly for instruction.

A sickly sweet smile was sent her way. “Now, you are going to be doing some lines for me, Miss Potter.” When she moved to get a quill and ink from her bag, the smile on the woman’s face just grew wider. “No, not with your quill.”

Blinking, she raised an eyebrow at the woman. “Then with what Professor? The tip of my wand?”

_ “You’re being combative again, dearest…” _

Sneering, the woman handed over a long black quill with an unusually sharp tip. “Another half a week’s detention for sass. No, you will be using a special quill of mine. I want you to write _ ‘I must not tell lies’ _as many times as it takes to sink in…”

Lena gazed at the paper and the quill that was as black as night, the situation seeming to make sense in the big picture, even if her mind refused to accept it. “You haven’t given me any ink to write with.”

“Oh, you won’t need ink.” The woman’s voice held a cruel smile, and she sat down, watching Lena pointedly. “Go on then. Write.”

_ “Angel… don’t write. Don’t put that quill to the paper. I know you know what that is. Go! Tell someone! Don’t you dare-” _

Placing the quill to paper, she wrote out a single line, blood-red ink illuminating the words; _ I must not tell lies. _

And just as she suspected, a sharp pain on her forearm had her rolling the sleeve of her outer robes up to reveal the same words that were written on the paper- cut into her skin. 

Umbridge smiled at her. “Something wrong?”

_ “Lena, dearest...” _

Marvolo sounded beyond horrified. _ “You cannot actually think that this will help anything, cursing yourself like this… should that wound scar over it’ll be a binding contract in itself- you know that, right?” _

_ I know. _

Lena looked up at where Umbridge was watching her, clenching her jaw. “This is a black quill, or more commonly known as a blood quill, and it’s illegal to own. You would be thrown in Azkaban. So how about we make a deal… I will keep using this quill for my three weeks of detention so you can see me bleed, as you so obviously take pleasure in watching that sort of thing, but in turn, you have to vow that you will not use this quill on any other living thing in this castle or I will go straight to Dumbledore and I bet he can get Fudge fired for this as well.”

She ignored the two voices in her head pleading her just to tell someone- to let it go- but she knew deep down that this was the only way to make sure the sadistic woman didn’t hurt anyone else.

The woman’s eyes gleamed. "Make it six weeks or no deal."

_ "Don't you dare-" _

Nodding slowly, she held out her hand. "Six weeks."

“I accept.”

The woman took her hand in a clammy grip and they both felt the magic of the vow take hold. 

“Now, Miss Farland… let’s see how long this message takes to really sink in…”

When she got out of the detention, wrapping her forearm in thick bandages she got by calling a house-elf, she entered the common room with a blank mask of impassiveness and raised an eyebrow to see half the students still up. “Seems _everyone_ is having nightmares tonight… Should I read a story?”

“How was it? Are you okay? Your warning sounded pretty dire…” Blaise looked her over and she made sure to not give any sign she was bleeding or hurt.

“I’m fine. It was just lines. I don’t think Umbitch will be as big a threat as we think… so feel free to make her life a living hell for me, as long as you don’t get caught.” Then with a smile to the cheering common room that was now plotting new pranks and other ways to drive the teacher batty, she looked to her court and shook her head mirthfully. “I think I might not stay up tonight. Writing all those lines gave me a bit of a headache and all.” 

Draco nodded. “I have an essay or two, so I should be up for a bit.”

Ginny grinned. “Me too!”

“Perfect.” Lena winked at them and then gave Blaise a small hug, hiding her pain easily. “I’m alright Zucchini, not to worry.”

Spending a good amount of time in a hot bath, watching her arm bleed sluggishly until finally, it started to slow to a stop- the water an orangish color- she wrapped the wound in new bandages and then put the ring and locket back on, laying down.

Sinking into her mindscape, she found that it had made itself into the Black Lake, Marvolo and Riddle both sitting on the stone bench looking more than a bit upset.

Riddle crossed his arms. “That was a stupid move I would expect from a Gryffindor, not _ you_.”

“It _ was _very upsetting, lovely.” Marvolo nodded. “Why didn’t you just go to an adult?”

“Because then I wouldn’t be able to kill her as easily.” Sitting down in between the two who looked at her as if missing something, she looked out across the lake. “Vows bound by magic are also bound by life when it involves blood- and since I was bleeding, Magic took it as a blood oath and I bet Umbridge will find she has a papercut she didn't have earlier. The second she gives into her sadistic side and tries to use that quill on another one of the misbehaving students like I know she’ll want to... she will die after having her magic stripped from her. A fate as bad as a dementor’s kiss, or so I read once.”

Marvolo wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close, nose dipping to nuzzle at her hair. “Have I told you that you’re brilliant and gorgeous lately? What a cunning mind you have...”

Riddle turned to look at her with eyes that were a dark maroon, a frown still lingering on his lips. “And the binding to the blood quill?”

“She never said I have to write anything more than a promise to not tell lies and- well- I try not to do that anyway, so I don’t think it’ll matter that much.” She shrugged, wiggling her arms out of Marvolo’s grasp so she could hold them open. “Please don’t be mad at me. I wouldn’t do anything like that if I thought I couldn’t handle it.”

Sighing and pulling her close, he buried his face in her neck. “We would be lost should you get into more trouble than you can handle… I expect you to at _ least _ live to the age of seventeen.”

Marvolo draped himself across her back, chin on her other shoulder. “Either change the scenery or get us a couch.”

Chuckling softly, the stone bench changed into a soft sofa and she let herself be squashed into a Lena-sandwich, closing her eyes and wondering how many detentions it would take for the ugly toad to get bored of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there were other ways I could have written Lena taking her vengeance on the pink toad, but to me, this worked just as well- it fulfills Lena's requirement of not striking first, it protects the others, it's manageable for her, and it means she's legally free of blame.  
And if it adds in a layer of plot where she can't lie after this year... then we'll see what fun we can have with that ;)  
Plus, it's a fun pastime of mine to make the cinnamon rolls suffer ^-^  
On a side-note, I really do appreciate all of your support and love!  
Hugs and kisses! -Mango


	35. The Art of Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a wonderful break I've had! I've been growing the most delightful layer of moss!  
But, alas, the moss had a good point (and so did all of you).  
I am coming back to post the rest of the material I have written up but we'll have to see if I write more :)  
Don't worry loves, just relax and enjoy the story- yeah?

Life went on as smoothly as it could- with it being her life.

Ginny made seeker, much to Lena’s relief (so she didn’t have to try out), and she kept her normal schedule for the next week, spending her nights either in Marvolo and Riddle’s arms or helping students with their homework.

Except, with every detention, her forearm got worse, the cuts deeper, and Umbridge didn’t stop because of a bit of blood- just putting a tray under her arm so she wouldn’t get it on the lace. Lena was meticulous about using cleaning charms at the end of detentions, knowing that so much fresh blood was just asking to be taken advantage of by some potion or dark ritual.

The students were slowly driving Umbridge crazy, the Slytherins starting with drawing crude things on her kitten plates and changing the color of her pink robes whenever they could, and the other houses quickly caught on and joined in on the fun.

The other teachers looked the other way, obviously not fans of Umbridge, and Severus especially had no problem crucifying her for her slips of the tongue when she got irritated.

And yet… the woman, as she heard, didn’t do anything but lecture the students in detention and give them normal (if not tedious) detentions.

  
  


_ Nicolas and Perenelle, _

_ I have a minor problem, but I swear I have good reasoning behind it and ask you to please not try to meddle or tell anyone- as that would cause problems in my plan. _

_ Do you know of a good healing spell or two that would maybe help with curse wounds? Even a book title or a suggestion of an author would be nice. _

_ I do have access to the restricted section, after all, and might need it. _

_ Thanks, _

_ Lena. _

_ Lena, dear, _

_ Nick and I both think you should go to Severus or Dumbledore, but will not interfere without knowing the whole story. _

_ As for the book, I included a few old healing spells but it depends on what type of curse magic you’re dealing with. _

_ For the more touchy magics that won’t heal with any of the spells, I would use murtlap essence. _

_ Hope you’re doing well, _

_ Perenelle _

Lena found herself in the Chamber of Secrets, the locket and ring (formerly cup) laying on the sofa as she floated in the clear pool of water and tried to forget about how her arm was stinging. She’d tried six different spells before finally just soaking her arm in murtlap essence and she felt like her whole arm was throbbing in protest.

_ But that was okay because she deserved this for being a monster- wasn't that what the Matron used to say? _

_ And anyone who had even the slightest blood on their hands was a monster- a _ _ sinner. _

_ Lena had long been so very stained with the blood _ _dripping from her hands. _

A catfish moved to nibble at her toes and she closed her eyes, sinking into the water, letting out the air from her lungs until her mind cleared and she couldn’t hear a single thing. Staying under as long as she could by weighing herself down with her magic like a rock on her chest, she would break the surface and float until she got her breath back, then sink back to the dark watery abyss.

Sometimes her lungs would hurt, but it was something to keep her mind off where her arm was still bleeding sluggishly.

Her eyes stared up at the chalky white stone of the Chamber’s ceiling.

_ How had she gotten here, protecting a whole school of students- half of which were older than her- from something she still had to suffer. _

_ Not that she had a problem with suffering a bit, but this was wholly past staying up late to comfort her snakes... this was more than 'a bit'. _

_ Who was she anymore? _

_ A few years ago and she wouldn’t have lifted a finger to go this far out of her way to protect those not of her court, much less of another house… so when had she changed? _

_ It must have been around the same time that the Hufflepuffs stayed with them and she’d talked them through nightmares too, seeing the other house as something closer to her own snakes instead of rivals must have helped this strange transition. _

Closing her eyes, she could hear Miss Stacy’s words in her head from the beginning of her third year: “Does everyone have to like you, Lena? Is that mandatory now? Can’t you focus on your friends and just ignore the others?”

And…

And she had listened. 

She’d started to ignore all those who didn’t like her, only going out of her way to be spiteful when they directly came at her or her own. Maybe that was where this came from. She’d stopped seeing everyone around her as enemies, instead just seeing them as blank slates until they either got on her good or bad side. And with that, had come this tentative acceptance of the other houses.

Because kids were all worth the extra effort, not just the broken ones.

** _:Heiress is hurt and bleeding into the pond… why?:_ **

Lena’s eyes fell open, smiling at the basilisk that curled into the water, scales brushing over her bare skin. ** _:I’m protecting the school from an evil witch, Delphi. And no, you can’t help or I’m afraid that this time the fools won’t leave you in peace:_ **

Head resting on the ledge of the pool, watching her, the snake blinked slowly. ** _:Heiress has until Ostara, or Delphi will kill the witch in revenge for hurting you.:_ **

** _:Very well. I do not think my plan will take that long.:_ **

** _:Who is the witch that hurt Heiress?:_ **

She sighed, wondering how to describe the woman to the Basilisk, knowing a name wouldn’t help the snake. ** _:She wears all bright pink, has a face like a toad, and I imagine she would probably smell a bit like poisoned sugar.:_ **

** _:Delphi will keep watch for the poisonous toad.:_ **

Swimming a bit longer, she finally got out and spelled herself dry, dressing quickly before putting back on the locket and ring.

Laying down, she fell back into her mindscape.

They were in her room back at Severus’ house, Marvolo laying out across the bed and Riddle sitting in a chair by the corner. The elder of the two looked up from where he was sprawled out, pouting. “What was that for? You woke up and just decided to take us off?”

“I was swimming.”

Amusement and understanding flashed across Riddle’s face but he stayed silent as Marvolo frowned. “So?”

Lena smirked and moved to lay down in the sliver of space on the bed. “_So _ I don’t have a swimsuit and the only one in the Chamber is Delphi.”

“You-” Marvolo blinked, brain seeming to short-circuit, and she heard Riddle laugh softly from behind her. “When you want to swim you just… swim nude?”

“Well, it’s not like Delphi ever complains, though sometimes it’s a bit strange when she tries to wrap me in her scales.” Chuckling softly at the boy’s wide eyes, she nudged his side. “Stop being so weirded out- It _is _a new era- plus, I wouldn’t do it if I knew someone could walk in on me. The only other parseltongue I know is Voldemort and he wouldn’t dare come to Hogwarts with Severus on a war-path.”

Marvolo rolled his eyes, moving onto his side and putting his head up to rest on his palm. “You never know...”

“Scoot over.” Riddle poked at her back and then sat near the headboard when she rolled over into Marvolo, closing his eyes as if he was tired even if he still had one of the book-memories in hand. “Are you going to tell anyone about the blood quill anytime soon?”

She wiggled back so she was closer to him, pressing her forehead against his leg and closing her eyes, voice soft as he brought a hand up to play with her hair. “Not yet, dear, but I am sure that the toad will slip up soon enough… don’t worry about me, I’ve had worse.” 

Marvolo sighed and put an arm around her waist. “That shouldn't matter… You shouldn’t have to deal with this at all.”

Humming softly, she didn’t say anything else, basking in the warmth surrounding her.

It was with what looked like great pain that Blaise put down a newspaper in front of her when she got to lunch. “We might have a problem.”

Lena took on look at the title- ** _MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST-EVER “HIGH INQUISITOR”_ **\- and started to read, her scowl growing deeper as she did. When she was done with the paper she cast a glance to the Head Table, locking eyes with Dumbledore himself. 

Tilting her head to the doors of the Great Hall, the man nodded and stood, walking out of the hall at a slow pace. She then stood a moment later, squeezing Blaise’s shoulder lightly, and started after the Headmaster.

She caught up to him on the stairs. “She’s going to try to oust you, isn’t she?”

“I am afraid so, my dear girl.” The old man sighed, waving her up to his office after him, the twinkle fading fully from his eyes when the door was shut behind them and he sat down heavily in his chair. “I fear there is little I can do in this position, as Fudge is watching me closely, but will you do me one favor?”

Lena nodded silently, not liking the tiredness in the blue eyes.

“Will you come to me if any of the students are injured or in trouble?”

“Of course I will.”

There was no pause, no hesitation. 

Riddle took a cajoling tone to his voice. _ “Now would be a good time to tell him, dear…” _

_ I said student, didn’t I? And technically, I am part of the staff. _

She ignored the identical huffs that got, smiling at Dumbledore mischievously. “No pain lasts forever, my friend. And as I am sure you understand, all pawns have their flaws, and sometimes if played upon, one can get straight to the king for a quick and effortless beheading.”

“Hence why I don’t play chess with you.” But the old Headmaster was smiling. “Very well then, go plot your trouble out of my sight so I do not know about it. Plausible deniability and all the other things the children say these days.”

“For your trust _ and _patience.” Setting down a peppermint before the man, she went to rejoin her snakes for lunch. 

She was bombarded with whispered questions from her court as soon as she retook her seat- everything from ‘are we going to let Umbridge get away with this’ to ‘what did Dumbledore say’ fired at her until she held up a hand. 

“Please, calm down. Breathe for a moment and let me explain myself. Dumbledore is under scrutiny from Fudge, who thinks him trying to stage a coup of some kind, so he is limited to his action while Umbridge is abusing her power at the Ministry. However, I do have a plan already set up and the noose just has yet to tighten around the toad’s neck. The most important thing here though is that everyone trying to drive her crazy does so _ very _covertly.” 

Even if her plan was in motion, she still didn’t want anyone getting hurt.

Theodore and Daphne looked at each other, before looking back at her. “But we’re still allowed to prank her?”

Lena grinned slightly. “Of course. I would not _ dare _spoil your sabotage date-nights.”

Both of them flushed slightly and looked away, Draco and Blaise making faces as Ginny giggled and elbowed Daphne playfully. 

“Speaking of dates… How is Charles, Draco?” She enjoyed the flush on the boy’s face as he shrugged, munching on a bagel while she smirked slightly. 

“Both our parents don’t approve- or, well, Black doesn't but the other two seem alright with it… My mother is surprisingly supportive, but father thinks I’m a disgrace to the Malfoy name, having feelings for-...” He drifted off, not meeting her eyes.

_ “What an ugly man, keeping his son from love…” _

Riddle snorted softly. _ “Since when did you care about that? I distinctly remember us telling Walburga and Orion not to come within six feet of us because they ‘would infect us with such disgusting feelings.’” _

Marvolo huffed. _ “First of all, they were cousins and it disgusted us, as I am sure you remember. Second… that was before Lena.” _

_ “How hypocritical nonetheless.” _

_ “Yeah well, you seem quite attached too, git.” _

_ “Buffoon.” _

_ “Moron.” _

Ignoring the two consciousness parts bickering, she held out her hand, she took Draco’s wrist and gently turned it so she could see his bracelet. 

** _Love is strongest in times of need, you will get through this._ **

Her smile was soft. “It’s not wrong. A good friend and wise man told me recently that nothing is black or white and if Fate has a plan, it will happen… Just try not to hurt him, or I will skin you, friend or not.”

Draco nodded hastily, but something in his eyes seemed to have been put at ease. “I don’t- I won’t hurt Charlie.”

“Good. Even if not my family, he is still my blood… and a sweet kid at that.”

The next day Lena’s arm was once again laid flat over a tray, sleeves rolled up past her elbow, and rivulets of blood rolled down her skin the more she wrote.

Umbridge, seeing as last Friday she’d had to provide a blood-replenishing potion when Lena had gotten quite dizzy and almost sick, had decided in all her ‘goodwill’ only to make her write a hundred lines.

And write she did. 

Without much pause between lines, she wrote until her right hand cramped and her left arm stung as if the words were being carved into her very soul.

But she could multitask, hence why she spoke up softly. “You must’ve thought of being a Death Eater, all your sadism and cruelty wrapped up in a nice little bow… after all, you were a student when the Dark Lord was rising into power… so why not?”

“Not that a pretty little girl like you would know anything about this, but I wasn't 'Queen of Slytherin'. I didn’t have a court or such a pretty little face like you do to ease my way in school. I had to work hard _ without _ cheating or bribing people with my fame.” Umbridge gave her a sickly sweet smile. “So I took power for myself instead of power under someone else… but I bet you would have been like that pretty bitch- Bellatrix- hanging off You-Know-Who like some cheap _ bint_.”

Something dark twisted in her stomach at that thought.

_ “I doubt that he even noticed her, in the state he was in by the time all his positive emotions were removed. Plus if there’s anything we all knew, it was that Blacks are good for nothing but trouble.” _Marvolo mused.

_ “Indeed.” _

Feeling comforted by that, if for a reason she wouldn’t touch anytime soon, she looked blankly at Umbridge. “Oh, no, I wouldn’t have been a Death Eater. No, I think I would have been much like you in a way, just _ without _the torture of minors... and the ugly squished face you have.”

“Keep writing, Farland.” Umbridge snarled, turning back to her papers.

Bounding down the streets of Hogsmeade with Draco and Daphne chasing her, she laughed brightly, having found a spell that would switch two people’s hair and thoroughly annoyed the two hair-snobs. Skidding into the Hogs Head, she turned and reversed the spell, casting a thick shield to absorb the hexes sent her way. “See? Good exercise and spell practice, though your stunning spells could use some better aim, Daph.”

Reaching up to huff and fix her hair, the girl sneered at her in a way that she knew wasn’t actually real. “Menace.”

“‘Course she is. Little Lena’s been a damn menace from before she first set foot in my bar.” Aberforth clapped her shoulder as he passed by, moving behind the bar “Now if you troublemakers 're done trying to curse the socks off each other, you wanna sit down?”

Grinning and tossing three galleons on the scratched-up bar, Lena took a seat on one of the spinny bar-stools. “Six Butterbeers, good sir.”

Abe snorted at her but moved to get the drinks ready, the other three walking into the pub and sitting down in a nearby booth. 

Blaise eyed them. “Looks like there was no rush after all. Theo was worried you’d mess up and get hit with something, accidentally killing someone in your rage at having not been perfect for once.” Theo snorted and then Blaise grinned. “Oh- sorry, no- it was _ I _that was worried.”

“How little you think of me.” She pouted slightly. “I would never mess up like that in such a mundane setting, nor would I kill someone accidentally- for me to kill someone I would have to _ want _to do such a thing.”

Ginny furrowed her eyebrows. “But you said that one time with the guy in the alley was-...” Then a flash of realization passed over her face, glancing at Theo. “And with…”

Theo nodded, as he knew already that his grandfather’s death had been no accident.

“Kid.” She spun on her seat to look to where Abe was leaning on the bar, six mugs of Butterbeer in front of him. The man raised an eyebrow. “How’s my brother? I hear Fudge is going after him pretty hard and I know he’s been tired for a long while.”

“Oh, he’s positively colorblind and slightly delusional as usual… but not to worry, as I have no intention of losing Gramps to some stupid bowling ball with the mental capacity of a walnut.”

Wheezing, Abeforth patted her head. “You’re a good kid Farland, but get off my barstool- you’re scaring off the partons.”

Rolling her eyes, because she had it on good authority that half the patrons thought she was ‘adorable’, she flicked her wrist to levitate the Butterbeers over to the table.

An arm caught her around the waist as she slid off the barstool, spinning her around and a hand caught her left wrist, Vivaldi grinning toothily at her. “Injured are we?” The pupils of the vampires' eyes expanding until there was no white left in the black, his grip tightened on her wrist, stretching her arm out so he could run his nose along the inside of her forearm. “You smell… _ divine_.”

_ “Kill him.” _

_ “I agree. Behead him- he doesn’t deserve to touch you.” _

Lena looked up at the vampire, eyes cold. “I will give you ten seconds to release me and walk away or you’ll regret it, Vivaldi.”

“Now why… would I do that?” Pitch black eyes stared at her, pointed fangs moving to graze her wrist. “You’re the one who came in here, bleeding so sweetly- you were practically _ asking _for it.”

_ “Lena. Stop playing and get away from him.” _

_ Yes, alright. _

Pushing the vampire away with a wave of magic, ignoring the cut on her wrist his teeth made, she kicked him in the crotch and then dug her wand into his throat when he bent over. Watching him freeze, she pushed him up slightly with her wand tip, leaning forward to whisper in his ear icily. “All that time concealing my injury, being meticulous about wrapping it and making sure not to show any tells that it hurt… and then you ruin that for me… how _ lenient _ do you think I am feeling?” She let her voice drop into a sibilant hiss, knowing that he couldn’t understand her but that it would make her point. ** _:My dears think I should kill you… What do you think?:_ **

“I-” The man was frozen, voice strangled with something close to awe but not far from terror. “I’m sorry… please...”

Pulling away, she looked into his wide eyes that were human once more, pushing her magic into her own eyes until they glowed a bright cruel red color and the man flinched. “You are lucky I am forgiving, but you should remember who I am before you try to put your hands on me again.”

“Y-yes, my lady...”

Moving to collect a small bead of her blood that was on his lip, she pulled away, licking the drop of blood off her finger and sending a pulse of magic to the cut on her arm so it healed. She stowed her wand away. “Get out of my sight now and maybe I will find the leniency in my heart to one day talk to you again.”

Within one second and the next, he was gone.

_ “I’m going to marry you.” _ Marvolo sounded as if he had stars in his eyes. _ “Lena Farland, will you marry me?” _

_ I don't think I can marry someone without a body. _

_ “She has a good point.” _ She _knew _Riddle was grinning. 

_ “Shut up, you.” _

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she looked out across the still pub that was watching her and narrowed her eyes, everyone immediately going back to doing their own thing. Turning after a long second, she sat down heavily next to Theo. “Stupid vampires. One scratch and they decide to attack you.”

Theo and Blaise traded looks, Draco and Daphne frowning- as they probably all knew that bloodlust like that was only activated if the target was badly injured- but Ginny just cleared her throat and looked her over levelly. “You’re okay then?”

“Yes. I am fine.”

_ “Liar.” _Both the voices in her head said at the same time, in the same mocking tone.

_ Quiet loves, I am playing a game of patience. A long game. _

Nodding, Ginny took a drink of her Butterbeer and then started to talk about going to the small chocolate shop down the road after they finished their drinks, the others slowly taking the hint and joining in on the other conversation.

But she still felt their eyes following her all day, knowing they noticed now how she didn’t use her left arm as much.

And she knew that she would have to deal with the situation when it came up or risk her own life and magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things of (semi) import:  
\- I deleted both the rude comments and the chapter that I put up my letter talking about the problem, as I have decided not to change the story even though I will try to explain Lena's motives more for those without more than 3 brain cells (don't worry, I only have 2 so I think I'll be able to speak your language :))  
\- BUT I've saved all the nice comments and wonderful rants of enthusiasm and support away because I'm a greedy Mango... and sometimes I need to remember that there are more people than just the mean ones in this world <3  
\- uh... I hope you're all having a happy holidays? Drinking water, sleeping well, eating regularly- pretty much all the things I fail at?  
\- And remember, I do love every single one of you, even if you're mean and I might not seem like it at the moment. You're all valid and I'm sorry if your day was bad enough to have to take it out on me, but it'll be alright dear. Just take a deep breath and feel my warm hug and then go out and do what you need to <3
> 
> OH WAIT, ONE MORE THING-  
*scrambles back in a second later with pajamas askew*  
Go read the sequel/sister series where I show you other people's POV during the events of the Farland Files and even some character backstory! It's called Court's Cases! (i feel like I need a new name for that...)


	36. The Art of the Long Con

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello loves! Merry Yule's Eve!!  
Here's another chapter!

Sitting down calmly in her armchair by the fire, she went to open her book but was stopped by a hand. Looking up into Blaise’s eyes, their faces only a foot or so apart, she arched an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“You’re going to roll up your sleeves and prove to us that you’re fine or I’m going to Snape to tell him you’re hiding an injury.”

“Oh?” Slowly putting her book to the side, she stood, closing most of the distance until her nose brushed his chin, tilting her head to look up at her first friend. “And you think that I cannot deal with my own wounds? Maybe… this is you projecting your worry onto me, wanting to have some reason to take care of me, like how you used to be the only one who could make me smile…”

Dark eyes flickering between her eyes, tongue wetting his lips and pupils dilating, the boy leaned in as if instinctively drawn forward. “I see you, Lena. Even when everyone else only looks skin-deep, I know you best. I have known you the longest, and I will _ always _be here for you.”

_ “Um- wrong? We know you better than he ever will angel.” _

_ “He’s quite wrong indeed. After all, for almost all the time he’s been friends with you, one of us has been near you- if not in your very head.” _

With a small smile cresting her lips, she tilted her head slightly, her nose just barely brushing over his chin. “You’re not going to get me to reveal anything I don’t want to.”

“Is that right?” 

“Mhmm.” Reaching up to smooth her hand across his cheek, she let him lean forward just a bit more, voice soft. “And normally I would give you a reminder of your place, but I think for these extents and purposes a bit of positive punishment would be good… don’t you think?” 

Obviously reading her mind, he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers gently before pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes. “Is this-”

Pulling him in again with a soft huff, she clenched her fists in his robes, pressing their lips together before whispering against his lips. “Shut up and kiss me, fool.”

Blaise took that as a command, hand tangling in her hair before he proceeded to slowly knock the breath from her lungs, and she wondered faintly why she hadn’t done this before as she bit his lip softly and grinned slightly when he groaned softly.

_ “Angel, precious, this is literally painful.” _

_ Sod off, this doesn’t include you. _

_ “I think that’s the reason we’re both so uncomfortable with this.” _

She pulled back, blinking a few times. 

_ What? Why? _

Riddle sighed softly. _ “Marvolo literally proposed to you earlier today and you still don't get it?” _

_ Marvolo was being sarcastic. _

Marvolo snorted softly. _ “Yes, always, but also no. You’re our fated, our angel, our treasure… why in Merlin’s name would we want you kissing someone else?” _

“Lena?” Blaise looked at her with a small frown, hand smoothing down her shoulder gently as if trying to comfort her. His eyes drifted to the gold chain around her neck, before rising back to her eyes. “Everything alright?” 

Pulling him in for another kiss, this one shorter, she gave him a crooked smile. “Wonderful.” And then with a wink and a light brush of her hand over his shoulder, she made her way back to her seat, the words carved into her arm obviously forgotten as the room took to gossiping about her ‘new relationship’.

_ I wonder if all of you have the same obsessive tendencies, or are you going to blame that too on us having owned the same type of wand? Because I still had a different wand when I met the diary and the diadem. _

_ “You’re just that magnetic, dearest.” _

_ “You really aren’t taking the twin wands seriously, are you? I can’t believe you kissed that fool.” _

Lena smiled down at her book, amused. 

_ Does it help soothe your raised hackles that my first kiss was the diary? _

Marvolo seemed to pout._ “Only slightly.” _

_ Get over it then- you’re not here to control me, you’re here for the ride. _

Lena sat down at the head of the Slytherin table a little later than usual as she’d stayed up to talk Cassius Warrington and Cecilia Grimards through a relationship spat, starting to make herself a plate of breakfast, choosing to ignore the ugly pink bitch that was standing not too far away from where Theo usually sat. 

“Hem hem.”

She chose to spread some jelly over a piece of toast, taking a long sip of her hot chocolate before finally looking up as the woman cleared her throat again. “Professor. You must be lost. The Head Table is to your left.”

“Educational Decree Twenty-Four was passed, stating that all student organizations, societies, teams, groups, and clubs are henceforth disbanded. No such things may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor. _ And _any student found to have formed or to belong to an organization, society, team, group, or club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.” Umbridge seemed to preen, back straightening with importance.

“Good for you.” She took a bit of her toast, chewing slowly while staring at the woman.

Umbridge huffed. “That _means _that your little… _ court _is disbanded. You're nothing more than a disobedient _pissant_ of a fifth-year.”

“Okay.” Standing, she looked out over the Slytherins, raising her voice so that she could reach everyone present. “The Court has been disbanded forcefully! By the ancient laws of our house, Delores Umbridge is now named an enemy of the House of Slytherin and the crown will go to the Head of House! As Delores Umbridge has been declared an enemy of the house, any who wish not to go to her classes can self-study or come to me for questions. Are there any who oppose this movement?”

All the snakes were silent.

The woman’s eyes widened almost comically, seeming to flail for something to do in response. “This- you can’t do such a thing! This is insubordination! A week’s detention!”

Lena tilted her head. “Oh. Right. I forgot.” Holding up her hand, the Slytherin house ring glinting in the light, she grinned sharply and then looked to Dumbledore. “Delores Umbridge has been declared an enemy of the Slytherin heir, and as I am the only heir of Hogwarts currently in residence, an enemy of Hogwarts itself- does the Headmaster see my claim?”

Dumbledore smiled at her fondly, nodding as if it was a decision he didn't want to have to make, but that he thought was right. “Yes, Hogwarts and I both see your claim.” 

With a flash of lightning across the ceiling of the Great Hall, a shower of rain started to pour exclusively on Umbridge and Lena grinned brightly as she sat down. “Karma, _ bint_.”

“Detention! Detention for the whole year! And no Hogsmeade visits!” Turning on her heel, the woman walked out quickly, the storm cloud above her head following her until she left the hall, sopping wet.

_ “Have I mentioned that I absolutely love you? Because that was… beautiful.” _

_ “Indeed, a wonderful power play.” _

It seemed that Blaise had the same thought, pulling her into a deep kiss- that effectively soured both Marvolo and Riddle’s good moods- Ginny wolf-whistling in the background.

Someone cleared their throat and they broke apart, Severus glaring at Blaise. “Get your hands _ off _my Goddaughter.”

The Italian boy let go immediately but sent her a small smirk as he sat down.

Lena covered a smile of her own with an impassive mask. “Snape. Did you want something or did you come to ask for help braiding your hair like Perry did over the summer so it was easier to brew?”

“Neither. Brat. We have to talk about your test in two weeks.”

She cursed under her breath, having forgotten in the drama with Umbridge, collecting food in a napkin, and throwing her bag over her shoulder. “Okay, yeah, let’s get to business.”

As the other teachers- Umbridge not included- knew about her going in for her potion mastery the ninth day of November, she was temporarily excused from all her classes, and other than helping other students with Defense, her life revolved around potions.

Severus set up a complicated ward design, helped by her, to keep her brewing area completely and absolutely free of all magic or even dust that could affect her potions.

It seemed like the castle was really liking being able to mess with Umbridge because there were constant rumors and whispers about the woman being tripped by the stairs, getting lost, or even missing her teacher evaluations. Apparently, the castle wouldn’t let her near the astronomy tower or the dungeons (or Flitwick’s class after she’d tried to use a tape measure to record his height) and was constantly changing around her own office to mess with her.

However as she was still ‘High Inquisitor’, as much as Lena wished that Severus could take her detentions, she knew that it was not to be.

But tonight, it seemed was especially bad.

With every line of the quill, every cut digging into her skin, she felt herself getting fainter and fainter- barely getting out of the room before she was swaying- and she felt arms catch her as she started to fall to the ground. “Lena?”

Charles Potter’s face swam before her, before she was collapsing, bleeding onto the stone.

When she woke again, head pounding, it took a second for her eyes to focus. She gazed up at the grey stone ceiling of an unfamiliar room and laying on a grey sofa, licking her dry lips, and her voice was hoarse when she spoke. “Char- Charlie?”

A face moved into view, concerned, with messy black hair falling in his face. “Yeah?”

“Where am I… and why am I here?”

“You’re in my office and you’re here because you were bleeding out- _ from a curse-scar, might I add _ \- in the middle of the hallway.” Severus’s voice was soft and yet dangerous as she looked to where she just noticed he was soaking her arm in murtlap essence. “Tell me… how long has that _hag _been using a blood quill for your detentions? And don’t you _ dare _ tell me that you haven’t been- because you literally have the words _ ‘I will not tell lies’ _ carved into the very _ bone _of your arm.”

Eyes drifting back to the stone of the ceiling, she shrugged. “I made a blood oath with her. She cannot use the blood quill on anyone else and I will not tell anyone directly.”

Severus was silent, seeming to go over the possibilities for why she could have done that, and as he seemed to come to the same conclusion she'd made herself, he hissed softly. “You’re impossible! What kind of a deal- sacrificing yourself to a madwoman and for what? The mere _possibility_ of that outcome?”

“She’ll do it. I know she will. I, more than anyone, know her type, as I lived under the Maton for the first twelve years of my life!” Her voice quieted, eyes looking away so she didn’t have to see their disappointed faces. “I couldn’t let her hurt anyone else. You have to understand, I knew- I _ know _ I can take it. Just a bit longer.”

“Your detentions will be with me from now on, I don’t care if you have to stay in the Common Room and my office to hide from her, but you are _not _going back. That wound will at least scab over by the time you go in for your mastery or I am going to kill her _myself_.” Then the man stood up and looked at Charles. “Potter. Should you tell anyone about what you saw or our conversation I will remove your vocal cords. Now go.”

With a glance at her, Charlie nodded and hurried out of the room.

Severus cast her a glare. “Leave your arm where it is. I will be telling the snakes you are running a fever and you will be sleeping in here for the night.” 

Nodding, she watched the man leave before she closed her eyes and sinking back into her mindscape. 

The grand library was empty this time, the bookshelves overrun with ivy and roses, the floor sprouting flowers in its cracks.

Moving to the middle where there were two large couches and an armchair, she sat down next to Marvolo on the couch he was lounging on, leaning into his side. “It’s been a while.”

“Too long, angel. I’ve been so cold without you here...” Pulling her into his arms, his long hair brushing against her cheek, he dipped down to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth and then grinned when she elbowed him in a weak reprimand. 

“He’s being dramatic.” Riddle sat down at her other side, ignoring the whole couch and getting as close as he could while trying to act like it was a mere coincidence that he did. “It’s warm being in contact with you at all, but when you come here it’s brighter and more focused as if you’re literally the sun.”

Lena hummed slightly, not sure how to respond to that. “Only a few days until my test. Tomorrow’s Samhain.”

The two shared a look and Marvolo’s arms tightened. “I was thinking that perhaps... you should let one of us go soon. To get ahead of the other one of us and all. Tomorrow would be a good a day as any and-”

“No.” She looked at him with a frown. “You can’t ask that of me. Not until Umbridge is dead.”

“Darling, you’re in danger…” Riddle’s hand came up to play with her hair, a fond look on his face along with a small smile. “Plus, weren’t you the one to tell me you couldn’t keep us forever?”

“Fine. But not one second before Umbridge is gone.” Hissing softly when they both looked about to argue, she shook her head. “No, I will not reconsider, so how about you two give up and cuddle with me? I have to get some sleep for the test or Severus will _ actually _poison me.”

Samhain (Halloween) was spent with the other Slytherins in the Common Room, as Umbridge wasn’t able to get in, and the rest of her time was mostly with Severus going over potions and ingredients and having her perfect brewing the potions that she’d been spending all summer trying to come up with.

Before long she was putting on a simple blue dress that Perenelle had got her and they’d sewn steady-hand and confidence runes into, having Daphne braid her long hair back neatly, and meeting Severus at his floo.

“I can’t go with you, as I am not allowed to leave the castle at the moment… and all magical objects that are not clothes or important rings will need to be taken off.”

Nodding, she slid the Hungarian ring off her finger. 

_ I promise Severus will keep you safe and I’ll be back before you know it. _

_ “Good luck angel.” _

_ “Remember that if done you’ll be the youngest potions master alive!” _

Smiling, she slid off the Hufflepuff ring and the Locket, looking to Severus. “These would probably be allowed, but I don’t want them to be anywhere near unstable potions just in case.”

Nodding, the man transferred them to the top drawer of his desk, locking it. “Do your best Lena, and know that I will be proud even if you don’t pass, though I doubt that will happen” 

Grabbing a handful of floo powder, she smiled and threw it down, calling out for the ministry.

The floo, as always, was slightly uncomfortable but she just brushed herself off as she stepped out and proceeded through the crowds of the Ministry without even blinking. 

Acting as if she knew where she was going, she scanned the signs and ended up in a small sitting room with many men and a few women sitting in white chairs.

“You lost, girl?” One of the men with a smug face and curly hair raised an eyebrow at her. “If you need directions the-”

“Lena, darling! I’m so glad you made it- I heard about that horrible woman trying to keep you and had to come to make sure you got here yourself!” Madame Zabini strolled in with a grin, a small blueberry muffin in her hands. “I hope you got breakfast, but I thought I’d get my favorite Slytherin a muffin before she went for her first mastery! And to think, Severus got you to go for potions before runes too!”

Taking the muffin and sitting, the woman sweeping into the chair next to her, she shrugged slightly. “He said he would weep if I dared to get my runes mastery before my potions mastery. I just don’t have the heart to tell him that technically since Janus had to register his cloak before the board as a new rune-scheme that I technically have my mastery, I just have yet to sign the form.”

The woman looked at her intently. “When did you give him that cloak again?”

“First year.”

A few of the witches and wizards around them coughed, one witch across from her leaning forward with intent eyes. “How old are you, dearie?”

“Fifteen. And if you must call me anything, 'Miss Farland' would work, as it’s _ much _less patronizing.”

Madame Zabini stifled a chuckle behind her hand. “I hear from my son that you’ve finally relinquished the crown and it was to _ Snape _of all people. Apparently, also Miss Umbridge is an enemy of Slytherin now? And the castle is blocking her every move?”

Lena shrugged, keeping her eyes to herself unlike everyone else in the room. “Umbridge is not my favorite, no. The castle, however, just takes cues from the rest of the student body, who all despise her with a passion.”

“I see... well good luck on your test- and I expect to see you in Italy before you head off to France next!” Patting her head, the woman strolled out.

Rolling her eyes, she finished the muffin and then vanished the napkin and crumbs, leaning back in her chair so she could close her eyes and listen to different names being called occasionally for two different testing rooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter hopefully going up tomorrow!!  
Apologies for being sort of MIA with your comments, I've been tied up with family events ^-^ but I hope you're all doing well and I'll try to get around to answering questions and such soon! <3  
A wonderful winter night to you all!


	37. The Art of Innocence in the Face of Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😈 Read the title 😈  
It's going down!!!!! The toad must die!  
(I've had wayyyy too much sugar, but like, Happy Holidays everyone!)

It seemed like a few hours had passed when her name was called, though logically she knew that most of the time it was only minutes before someone was being escorted out of the testing rooms in either tears or rage.

Lena entered a small room with a table on one side of thirteen wizards and one witch, a chair on the other side next to a single-person potion station that looked quite unused.

“Good morning, Miss Farland.” A man in the center looked to be reading off a sheet. “We will ask you increasingly hard questions and should you answer at least thirteen out of the fourteen correct then you will be allowed to try to brew a potion that has never been-” The man paused as he looked up at her, raising an eyebrow and then continuing, slower as he did. “-done before… am I clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

The woman on the end leaned forward. “How old are you, sweetheart?”

“Fifteen. And that counts as your first question.”

The table seemed to blink, straightening, and the man next to the woman narrowed his eyes. “In which phase of the moon does the Fluxweed need to be picked in order to properly brew Polyjuice Potion?”

Lena thought about it for only half a second. “Full moon.”

The third man looked bored, though his eyes said differently. “What are the ingredients of Skele-Gro?”

“One Chinese chomping cabbage, three puffer-fish, an ounce of knotgrass, three hairs from a puffskein, and five scarab beetles.” 

This went on, listing conditions or ingredients and the exact order of things until it got to the man at the end hidden in shadow. Leaning forward into the light, Nicolas Flamel grinned at her and she knew that he was going to throw her for a loop, as she was determined to get all the questions correct.

“If you were to guess… what is the one thing the Elixir of Life cannot treat?”

Eyeing Nicolas, she frowned slightly and decided to just guess based on the amount of time she’d spent watching Perry and Nick make eyes at each other. “A broken heart.”

The people at the table all looked to Nicolas, whose grin split into a wide smile. “Indeed.”

“Well done!” The woman at the end smiled widely, the table clapping hesitantly.

Standing, the man that had read her the instructions waved to the potions bench. “You have four hours, starting now, to make a potion that has never been made before and submit it to the Department of Mysteries for testing. Anything you do or put into the cauldron will be automatically recorded and any ingredients can be fetched by a house-elf and will be refunded by the ministry _ if _ the potion is validated.”

Bowing her head, she moved to cast cleaning charms on all the equipment, before looking to the bench. “I need Horseradish, Wormwood, moonstones, Sage, Alihotsy leaves, an Ashwinder egg… and a bar of chocolate, if you don’t mind.”

With a small ‘pop’ the ingredients appeared.

First, she started about setting water to flame so it would boil then she got to powdering the horseradish, moonstones, sage, and ashwinder eggshell. Carefully chopping up the Alihotsy leaves and wormwood, before pouring water she’d boiled over the chopped pieces in a jar, she caped it tightly and set it aside so it would infuse the water. 

Lena stirred in moonstone powder and the ashwinder eggshell powder into half a cauldron of water before slowly melting the chocolate into the shimmering silver liquid until it turned the water a sparkly maroon color, before adding in the sage powder, only stopping when the potion started to bubble. 

Leaving it on medium heat for seventeen minutes and setting a timer, she turned to where the water in the jar with the leaves was turning a dark orange. Touching the outside of the glass every once and a while to check if it was cooling, she finally strained the leaves out and mixed the horseradish powder in until it deepened to a royal blue color. After the seventeen minutes were up, she took an eyedropper and carefully added in the blue liquid, waiting a few seconds after each, until after the third one the liquid in the cauldron shimmered a soft pink color before it changed to a color she could not describe as anything other than liquid silver. 

Flicking off the heat with just a thought, she waited until the cauldron was cool, the potion shimmering in the light before taking a ladle and filled as many vials as she could.

“What… what does it do?” One of the men breathed softly, as if in awe.

“I call it ‘Riddelium’. It’s a potion that works to give happiness in the face of difficult situations and it will work against the feelings that dementors inspire, making it easier to cast a Patronus charm or just be around the creatures in general. It could also be used as a medicinal treatment for depression or anxiety, as it’s not addictive- to my knowledge at least.”

Nicolas stood, clapping, and moved forward from the table to shake her hand with a mischievous smile. “I’m sure you’ll get your results by Yule, Miss Farland. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

Lena smiled widely at him. “You as well, sir.”

Then she was swept up in questions about the thought process that went into Riddelium that lasted almost the rest of the time she’d been given to brew before she was finally let go of.

As she walked out, shoulders un-tensing for the first time in the last week, Nicolas caught up to her with a slight bounce in his step. “You did amazingly. Really freaked me out though- I thought you were going to present your potion for flight?”

“Ah, but that would be stealing the spotlight from Perenelle. Plus, I thought that maybe after my mastery we could _ both _lay claim to that potion, a joint-project of sorts.”

“You know many people have come to Perry for help and she’s given up her time to work on their ideas and make them work… but none of them have ever come back and offered her any credit.” The taller man slung an arm around her shoulders with a wide smile and a deep chuckle. “I knew I liked you for a reason!”

She scowled teasingly at him. “I thought that reason was that I put up with you nagging me about my love life?”

Giving a loud boisterous laugh that had people eyeing them, she smiled slightly behind her hand and the broad-shouldered man nodded. “That too, Lena-bean, that too...”

“Excuse me.” 

Lena looked up at where Lucius Malfoy was standing by a man who seemed familiar yet she couldn’t seem to place. “Yes, Mr. Malfoy? Is there something you would like passed along to your son?” She looked up at Nick. “I forgot to mention, as I didn’t know you’d be here, but this ‘High Inquisitor’ woman was appointed by the Minister and she’s going through our mail- one of the reasons I haven’t owled you all year except that one time.”

“Alright, but did you get that sorted out? Because I was quite worried that I’d have to come down here and get into a fight with someone about-”

The man next to Malfoy cleared his throat, seeming irritated for some reason. “Miss Farland, why are you out of school at this time?”

She blinked slowly, before tilting her head. “What does it matter to you?”

The stranger’s brown eyes seemed to gleam as if taking her words as a challenge- 

But then Nicolas was ruffling her hair and chuckling good-naturedly. “Lena was doing the test for her potion’s mastery because Sev got his knickers in a twist and wanted her to get that before runes- though you think we should stop by and fill out your papers for that one too while you’re at it? As long as the dour bat doesn’t look at the dates filed…”

Grinning up at Nick, she shook her head. “I’ll wait until I’m out of the country and then have Janus file it for me. I _ am _coming to see you this summer, am I not? Sev said that was the plan, but that he’d be staying here.”

“More time for us- plus then when we go to the beach we won’t have a vampire with a black umbrella following us around.” 

They both snickered softly at the mental image.

“Excuse me, but _ who _ are you?” Malfoy’s companion seemed to _really _not like Nicolas, scowling deeply at him as he stepped forward slightly and his hand was drifting towards his wand as if restraining himself from cursing the larger man.

Lena frowned and stepped further in front of her friend, glaring at the strange man that was setting off about sixty different signals in her head, as if he was wrong and yet somehow… _ right? _

“Lena, it’s alright.” One of Nick’s hands settled on her shoulder, holding out his other hand to the man. “Nicolas Flamel. Nice to meet you, Mr...”

“Gaunt.” All of the tension seemed to drain from the man before smiling stiffly as he shook Nick’s hand. “Apologies, I had thought you were-...” The man’s eyes glanced her way for a moment before he waved it off. “Well, either way, it was a simple mistake.”

She put her hand over where Nick’s was resting on her shoulder. “Walk me to the floo?”

“Only if you fill me in on why Perenelle sent you those obscure healing scrolls.”

Lena gave a small wave of her hand as if to dismiss the subject as nothing, purposefully not exaggerating or looking at the wound on her arm. “They gave me an idea about a healing potion.” She was about to lay out a rudimentary idea that she’d gotten from the scrolls to cover the fact she’d been injured, when she felt a snapping feeling in her chest that knocked the wind out of her, gasping for breath as she grabbed for Nicolas.

The man instantly took her arm to hold her up. “Lena?”

Suddenly she could breathe again, gasping and leaning over as she felt her body sort of restart.

Her eyes drifted to where a red band of magic was glowing around her wrist. “I- I need to get to Hogwarts to- to make sure she’s dead. Come on!” Grabbing Nicolas, she ran full-tilt to the nearest floo, opening it to the Headmaster’s office and guessing the password off the top of her head. _ “Peppermints!” _

Lena found herself in the Headmaster’s office, looking around the empty room and then running down the stairs, Nick appeared along with Lucius Malfoy and his companion- all running after her. She skidded to a stop in front of the Defense classroom, watching the Aurors carry out a stretcher with a white sheet over it.

Vicious victorious rage took over her, filling her veins with spite and making her laugh sharply through the adrenaline. “HA! Take _that_, you soggy bag of tits! You evil conniving _ bitch_!”

"Lena Farland! I have a few questions for you!" A woman she recognized as Amelia Bones (from her questioning after the Quidditch World Cup) started over, with Sirius Black on her heels. 

Nicolas sighed. “What did you do this time?”

She shrugged, trying (and failing) to look innocent.

Amelia Bones sat across from her at the table in the empty classroom, the other four men leaning against the walls with Nick looking tired and the other three looking slightly entertained. “So, Miss Farland… Can you tell me why Lord Malfoy and Lord Gaunt overheard you say you wanted to ‘make sure she was dead’? ...Did you kill Delores Umbridge?”

“Indirectly, yes, but it was because of a blood pact we made.”

The woman blinked. “Sorry- _ what_?”

Lena sighed. “I got detention with Umbridge my first class with her because apparently, she didn’t like the fact that she wouldn’t be able to teach me anything I didn’t already know. However, when I arrived at detention, I was told to write lines but she didn’t give me any ink and handed me this odd black quill.”

Miss Bones paled slightly, motioning to Black, who left and then came back a moment later with the blood quill in an evidence bag, setting it before them. “This quill, Miss Farland?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. Fun fact- it writes in blood. Anyway, I started to do my lines, thinking she was crazy, and then the quill starts writing in my blood. So I made a deal with her. She could give me as many detentions and lines as she wanted if she didn’t use that- that _torture instrument _on anyone else in the castle. However, since I was already bleeding-”

“It was classified as a blood pact and when she tried to use the quill on Blaise Zabini, it killed her.” The woman looked a bit stunned.

Lena frowned. “Is Blaise alright?”

“Oh- uh- yeah, his wound was easily healed as it was only done once. May I ask if-”

“Was that why you sent us that weird letter?” Nicolas looked beyond pissed, as well as Black and Gaunt, the large man snarling. “Wait until Perry hears about this- she’ll take guardianship of you just to get you away from this godforsaken school and corrupted Ministry- _ idiocy_!”

Lena snorted softly, starting to roll up her sleeve and gently unwrap the bandages, looking at Nicolas with a lopsided smile. “I’m alright Nick. Really. Plus Hogwarts is my home… though I’m sure Dumbles wouldn’t mind the offer of a good Defense teacher?”

Grinning slowly, the man nodded. “I’ll fire-call Perenelle from Albus’ office. She’d probably be delighted to help me teach.”

“More like stare at your butt as you teach.”

She ducked the playful swat, chuckling as the man muttered in French and walked out.

Pulling off the bandages, she laid her arm on the table. “Here. Take a picture if you need it, it’s not likely to heal anytime soon. In fact, Severus says it cut down to the bone and then some.”

Black and Malfoy seemed to go a bit green, Miss Bones even looking a bit disgusted, but the man- Mr. Gaunt- was just seething quietly in the corner. He straightened, looking at her with deep brown eyes while dipping his head slightly. “We will make _sure _that there is hell to pay for this, Le-... Miss Farland.” Then he glared at Malfoy Sr, snapping out: “Lucius, come along!”

_ So maybe it was Malfoy Sr that was the companion, not the strange Lord she couldn’t seem to remember the face of… _

_ Interesting. _

Lena sighed in relief at being able to walk through the school freely, having been released, and she smiled at the Common Room as she made her way in. “I think, my snakes, that everything will be much better in the second half of this year. First, I might actually be able to help out in the potions lab. Second, Umbridge is dead. And third… I suspect we will have the Flamels teaching us defense.”

“Lena- you’re bleeding.” Ginny moved forward with furrowed eyebrows, looking at her arm.

“Ah. Right. Did I mention that I weaponized a blood pact to kill Umbridge because she decided to use a blood quill on me?” 

Theo just put his head in his hands. “Janus is going to kill me.” 

Other than that, the whole Common Room looked more worried that she was wounded and less that she had (indirectly) killed a teacher.

“Wow. Have I really desensitized all of you that much?”

Lucian Bole snorted, getting a medical kit out, as he was learning under Pomfrey and was the resident healer when Severus wasn’t around. “We’ll all be in shock and awe later when you’re _ not _bleeding out.” The boy then grinned at her. “Plus, it’ll just turn into another story that’ll circulate the school and I bet by the end of it you’ll have fought Umbridge in a duel with swords to protect Zabini or something ridiculous like that.”

“You wound what’s left of my delicate pride. I would definitely be in a beautiful gown, swooning, and Lena would be in golden plate armor. I’m not some _ cheap _damsel in distress.” Blaise smirked as he moved over to where Lucian was carefully wrapping her arm with a salve he’d probably made himself. Leaning over so he could capture her lips in a soft kiss, the boy smiled fondly at her and ran his hand over her cheek when he pulled back. “I’m glad you’re okay, though I wish you’d told us earlier.”

“If I told you without you making the connection yourself, I would have been the one dead.”

The smirk got wider. “Then I’m glad that you distracted me from asking.”

Severus strolled in, glaring at her and Blaise, who stepped away but kept his smirk. “You’re always causing me trouble, aren’t you?” Then he moved to put the locket around her neck, putting the ring in her hand so she could put it on. “Nicolas and Perenelle just stormed the school- and get this- now Perenelle wants to help _me_ teach when she’s not staring at her husband.”

_ “You alright angel? What happened?” _

_ “Did the toad finally decide to eat more than she could chew?” _

_ One moment loves. Give me time to settle everything and then we can all curl up and talk. For now, here’s the memory. _

Lena tilted her head, trying to focus on two places at once, speaking a bit slower than normal so she could. “So… just give Perry the younger students you don’t deal well with. Split the work. I bet she’ll love working with the youngins.”

_ “Lena you should really-” _

_ A moment, remember dearest? _

“That might work…” Severus nodded to Lucian as the boy moved back to his group of friends, the man sitting down in the emptied spot. “How did the test go? I assume Nick was on your panel from his mysterious appearance.”

“The questions really weren’t that hard with all the things you had me memorize and the Patronus potion was fairly simple to brew after all the practice I had over the last two weeks.” She smiled at him widely. “All in all, they would be mad not to give me my mastery.”

_ “Lena?” _

Putting her hands to her face, she sighed. 

_ Yes, dear? _

_ “Angel, you really should let one of us go, as we both know it’s been straining your energy keeping us like this.” _

_ “Plus you said after Umbridge was dead you would.” _

_ You’re really asking me this... This is what you two want? _

Marvolo sighed. “_If I could stay with you like this forever, then I would, but as I’m not as connected to you as ‘Riddle’... I think you should let me go.” _

“Lena?” Severus leaned in slightly. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” Standing slowly, she looked at the Hufflepuff ring with a long sigh.

_ Goodbye Marvolo. _

_ “We will meet again, angel.” _

_ Right… well, in that case... I’ll see you around. _

Taking the ring off, she didn’t let herself hesitate, throwing the ring into the fire before taking a deep breath and rubbing at the bridge of her nose. 

_ Is this right? Am I really killing the one person I could love for the chance that Voldemort might go after my friends? _

Riddle’s voice was soft, gentle. _ “If there was any other way… but this is necessary for our happiness.” _

She had half a mind to leave the ring there when it turned back into the Helga Hufflepuff’s cup, but she scowled at her weakness and levitated the cup out of the fire and set it down on the table before where Severus was watching her with wide eyes. “Here. It’s yours now. I don’t think I could bring myself to keep it. Not after…”

Ginny reached out and took her hand, eyes understanding. “He’s very charming.”

“Yeah. Charming.” Her voice was hollow and she shook her head taking her hand back. “Excuse me, I’m going to sleep for a week.” Then she left, planning to curl up in Riddle’s arms and question her actions.

  
  


Thomas’s hand curled around the arm of the chair he was in, bringing his hand up to the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache to mask that he was shaking slightly, memories (that he both remembered and yet didn’t) flashing before his eyes.

_ -a warm figure pressed to his side, a giant library around them and a younger version of himself sitting close by- _

** _-his hands, bloody, as he stood over Hepzibah Smith with a cold sneer on his face and a golden chalice clutched in his hands-_ **

_ -“Sharing is caring.”- _

** _-watching a woman with long black hair walk into Borgan and Burkes, feeling a charming grin start to cross his face, only for a man to take her waist, his stomach twisting slightly in jealousy-_ **

_ -“I can tell if a person is a danger to me by touch. Bad intentions are more painful while family and friends are warmer or lighter feelings…”- _

** _-Rosier announcing his marriage in a bright and happy tone and then turning to him, voice curious as the boy asks about possible matches, having to watch the pity in his friend’s eyes as he tells the boy there is no one in his near future-_ **

_ -blood, dripping from a thin arm as delicate hands wrote line after line of the same five words, the words written in shiny red liquid- _

** _-loneliness, driving him to greed and torment-_ **

_ -“I don't think I can marry someone without a body.”- _

Putting to use his new studies into occlumency, he quickly sorted off the ugly memories of darker times, keeping the ones of a warm presence and soft hair in his hands to steady himself.

Rising from his chair to stand and capture the attention of the arguing Wizengamot, he spread his arms in what was meant to be a peaceful gesture, but the anger in his eyes might have betrayed him because the room was silent almost immediately. 

“Lords… Ladies… the generation of our future was put in danger by one woman today and I agree that there is much to think about when considering the corruption that led to the grievous oversight, but let me remind you that there was one person who knew about every so-called ‘educational decree’ passed. One man that I would bet knew _ exactly _ what type of a person Miss Umbridge was because he’d worked with her for _ years_.” His eyes landed on where the man in question had gone still. “Minister Cornelius Fudge.”

“What- no-... That-” The man fumbled over his words, looking to his side where Lucius Malfoy sat.

Standing, Malfoy Sr nodded solemnly. But if Fudge thought that he was about to be saved, he was mistaken, because Lucius was loyal to _him_. “You are right, Lord Gaunt. I have seen Fudge often consorting with that Umbridge woman in confidence, though I have to admit, I _never_ liked her.”

The room dissolved into chaos, the Lords and Ladies showing just how much they didn’t like Fudge now that Malfoy (who had been the leader of the dark faction and was one of the wealthiest lords) had given him up to the wolves.

Thomas let satisfaction wash over him, sitting back and nodding across the table at where Lucius sat. 

_ Fudge would not escape. _

_ He could respect that his darling angel got to kill the toad, as he would never devoid her of any such wish, especially to protect herself- the way it made him almost giddy to know that she was so very cunning to get away with literal murder aside... _

_ But the man in the high tower was his to destroy. _

He watched lazily as the wolves descended on Fudge, the man not even knowing how to defend himself, finally getting dragged out by the Aurors before Lucius Malfoy took up his stage and played up the role of the regretful bystander who wanted to account for his mistakes by taking up more responsibility in the new administration of the Ministry.

Hands moving to come together under his chin, watching the pieces move cleanly into position, he then cast his thoughts to the possible timeline of how long it would be before he could see Lena face to face, watch her recognize him for who he actually was… 

_ When he was whole, reborn by the hands of an angel. _

_ Then the Black King and the White Queen would be ready to meet in the middle. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tom: *gets back his memories*  
Tom: Finally, some good fucking food  
Tom: *gets to the memory of Lena kissing Blaise later when alone and going through them*  
Tom: 😱  
~  
This is y'all's Holliday present from me! A longer chapter with some good resolutions and fun things!  
Also, is anyone else imagining Tom's stunned face when he learns that the potion Lena made to be happy was named after him? Because that's what's keeping me alive rn ;)  
HAPPY HOLIDAYS AGAIN ❄🎄🎉🕎✨(insert other holiday symbols I couldn't find)⛄


	38. The Art of Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeet me into the sun 🌞

Darting across the snow-covered field away from the man chasing her, Lena couldn’t stop her laughter from bubbling up and out of her lips, the locket bouncing against her chest heavily as she didn’t even have the time to stick it down.

“Get back here you brat!”

“Run Lena, run!” Perenelle laughed brightly from across the field, wrapped in Nicolas’ arms as they watched her run from Severus.

Bounding past Blaise, who looked a bit stunned, dumping a handful of snow on him as she did- she cackled maniacally as he made a sound of outrage but didn’t expect to be tackled to the ground, both of them landing in the snowbank. She smiled up at him cheekily. “Oh, hello there.”

With a small smile, Blaise leaned in to kiss her from where they were tangled on the ground. “You dumped snow on me.”

“Yes, well, I did the same to Sev, who-”

Both of them sputtered slightly, a mound of cold snow dropped over them and they sat up, both glaring at where Severus was grinning at them. “Payback. For being inappropriately handsy _ and _for that icicle you put down the back of my robes Lena.”

Pulling each other up, she raised her hand. “Court! _ Avenge your Queen _!”

With loud war-cries, Draco and Theodore charged past her, tackling the potions master into a similar snowbank.

When they were all well and damp from the extreme snow-fight (except Daphne and Ginny, who had claimed ‘sickness’ so they could sit to the side and talk with Parenelle while sipping hot chocolate), as Lena had the idea of using a spell she’d found second year to make the snow into swords, they trudged back to the castle for lunch.

Perenelle casting a few simpler drying spells so they weren’t all making a big puddle, they took their places around the mostly-empty Slytherin table, most of the remaining Slytherins (and also Dumbledore- _ when did he get here? _) lumping together with their group until it was one big mess of teachers and students and everyone was laughing at Nicolas’ long rant about how he always had music no one knew anymore stuck in his head.

Lena smiled along, but she was more focused on the way everyone was without care or worry, their faces all at ease even as a few of them were having side conversations of their own.

_ Is this… what it’s like to have a family? _

_ “I would imagine so.” _ Riddle sounded just as awed as she felt and something warm rooted in her chest the longer the easy atmosphere stayed. _ “Now all that’s missing is me sitting next to you.” _

_ If only. But you, my dear, are a bodiless memory and I a Queen of Ice- we were not meant to be this way, my dear… I fear our love is a tormented tragedy whose play is slowly coming to a close. _

_ “How… dramatic.” _

She gave a soft huff of a laugh, hiding her grin in Blaise’s shoulder as his arm moved to instinctively wrap around her waist. 

_ It’s a talent, dearest one. _

Riddle sounded as if he was smiling and she could picture his curved lips and mirthful eyes. _ “Ah, yes, I should have known you'd say that.” _

_ Perhaps one day, in the lonely expanse of stars I like to think come after this troublesome existence… maybe we will sit like this, at a long table with family and friends. Maybe your arm will be around my waist and my face tucked into your chest as we whisper soft nothings to each other as if the world around us has no meaning, but today, my love, is not that day. _

_ “Then I look forward to the time that day will come- as I am confident when I say that no matter where you go, I will follow.” _

Lena’s eyes prickled slightly with sadness and longing, but she only blinked away the feelings, as they wouldn’t help here. 

_ Then I will trust you enough to never look back. _

They both drifted into a soft silence, as nothing more could be said without ruining the heavy words, Blaise’s hands in her hair and the sounds of her family around her. Trying not to think about the feeling of something missing in her chest, she pulled back to press a small kiss to her best friend’s lips and then turned to pretend to listen to Perenelle and Dumbledore in their story-telling so she didn’t have to notice the sadness in Blaise’s eyes.

But that only lasted until the end of dinner.

“I’m hurting you.” Lena wouldn’t- _ couldn’t- _ look at where she was holding her best friend’s hand, as they walked behind the other Slytherins. “This… this thing we have. It’s hurting you.”

He pulled her to a stop abruptly, but not harshly, hand firm but not caging. Blaise’s eyebrows were pulled down in the middle. “No. No, you’re just-” but his eyes shifted away, “-you’re not as invested in this as me... are you.”

It wasn’t a question.

Her sigh was soft, pained, and the boy flinched just slightly as if it was his fault. She kept her hand in his, tugging on his arm so that he would look at her. “Some days I’m not sure I know how to love. I know how to own, how to obsess and protect… but not love and sometimes my lines between caring and owning get blurry and I remember that normal people don’t like that. They-... _ you_, don’t like being- being played in this way.”

Blaise didn’t answer her, a strange mix of empathetic sadness and grief on his face.

Lena looked away from him to look at the stone wall as if it were some fascinating puzzle before she met his eyes once more. “I won’t let you go entirely- not when you’re so important to me- but you deserve someone that can give you everything you want and more, and I can’t do that… I don’t know that my interest should ever be classified as ‘love’. So I would not be upset in the slightest if you needed some time to sort yourself out.” 

“Was this… on purpose?” The boy’s voice almost broke.

“No.” Lena’s voice was soft but certain. “You are worth more than that to me. If I had thought for a second that I was hurting you before now-… I don’t think I fully understood the meaning behind the actions.” 

The silence fell heavy like a fog between them, Blaise seeming to turn this over in his head. “I forgive you, if only because when I hurt you, you forgave me.” But his hand pulled away from hers. 

She allowed it. 

“What… what will you do now?”

“I think I’ll keep Nicolas and Perenelle from trying to convince Severus into sleeping with them, as it would make me have to see the three of them happy- heaven forbid_ that _happen.” Smiling crookedly when he gave a surprised laugh, she shoved her hands in her pockets. Her smile faded, voice softer. “And I will wait until you are less hurt, but I will inevitably find someone else to dance with... Someone worth less than the one who taught me how to laugh. Someone that can meet my selfish greed for physical closeness with their own.”

Blaise’s eyes held an acceptance that she thought that he’d been working up to since before she first kissed him. “I wish you luck then.” His smile was faint, but it was better than nothing. “You’re a handful on the best of days.”

Lena nodded. She knew this. Turning slightly, she kept her hands in her pockets so she didn’t reach for his hand, tilting her head at him- and at getting a nod in return, they started down the hall as if the whole thing had never happened, the silence between them back to being comfortable.

_ “It’s almost as if we are made from the same fabric of time, my dear. I- we- have always felt much the same way. It was quite bothersome in our time as many expected us to get married and have a litter of children- the looks of pity when we didn’t were enough to drive anyone mad.” _

_ Sweetheart, you’re not supposed to refer to children as ‘a litter’. I am sure that is for kittens and other small animals. _

_ “Fine. Brats. Better?” _

She felt the corner of her mouth twitch up just slightly. 

_ You’re impossible, my dear. _

Riddle huffed. _ “And you are a liar. You may not love many, but are capable of feeling the emotion- you are just afraid of what comes with it.” _

_ Rubbish. _

_ “You love me.” _

The slight pouting frown of her lips as she shoved him from her mind was only because she could still hear his teasing laughter, even if he wasn’t in her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a new year! And I am already tired of existing!  
👌😎 good things- I hope you'll are planning to have a wonderful year and I'm hoping that my year will get better too!


	39. The Art of Despair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello loves!  
I've been quite discombobulated lately and though that's not really much of a reason not to be keeping up with this story... I kinda started like three other stories while I was away because my Brain is a Big Dumb ^-^  
Anyway.  
Here I am, alive, and with a longer chapter that'll hopefully make up some for my absence <3

“You and Zabini break up? He’s flirting with that younger redhead you lot hang out with.”

Lena looked up from her book on wizarding history to where the Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team (and the ex of Marietta Edgecombe) was leaning on the table next to her with a cocky smirk on his face. Smiling slightly, she glanced across the hall at where Blaise and Ginny were laughing about something, the boy meeting her eyes questioningly as if he knew she was looking at him. She just looked back up at Rodger Davies with a raised eyebrow. “I wanted quiet and they wanted to hang out. Does it matter if they’re flirting?”

The boy shrugged a single shoulder lazily. “It doesn’t if you’re not dating… and even if you are…”

Closing her book and putting it in her bag, she gave the boy her full attention, slowly taking in his overconfident posture and the smug tilt to his lips as if he’d already won something. “You were sent here as a dare or a joke. I’m curious- what was it?”

“I- uh-” His mask faltered for a long and obvious second before it slammed back up with a grin, but his voice was lower than before- as if telling a secret. “Those guys. In the corner of Ravenclaw. They bet me good money I could get with you… if we do, wanna split it?”

_ “Do not disappoint me by falling for such cheap slander. This is pathetic.” _

_ Or perhaps this could be fun… _

Riddle made a noise of outrage. _ “Fun? Lena!” _

“A game... I see.” Lena tilted her head just slightly, letting her lips pull up in a mischievous smile. “How about this instead. You tell me who you hate the most out of the whole school and I’ll do… a little something for you.”

_ “Lena, you’re mad. Batty. Nutty. Whatever ‘-tty’ you want to be, you can’t honestly be considering this.” _

Davies smirked, regaining the pompous tone to his voice. “Terry Boot. He’s some know-it-all muggle-born that's worse than even that Granger girl.” The boy jerked his thumb to where a boy with slightly long blonde wavy hair was wearing thick glasses and leaning over a book. “Total dweeb. Now, about that ‘little something’… you wanna go to the storage closet on the third floor?” 

He held out his hand.

Taking it, she stood, pulling him in so her lips were almost against his ear. “What I’ll do for you will be this: I am going to let you have this single moment where I will _ graciously _ allow you to touch me, then you will leave me alone or I will make sure no one ever finds the remains of your severed genitalia.” Feeling him flinch, she pulled back and let go of him, taking her bag and walking past him without a word.

Though she swore he was holding his breath as she did.

Moving to stand at the edge of the Ravenclaw table, she smiled as gently as she could when Terry Boot looked up in surprise. “Mr. Boot… may I sit next to you?”

“Is- is this a joke?”

“I promise it isn’t. I just thought that since I was alone reading and you were alone reading that maybe we could read separately but together.” Taking his stunned expression as a sign she could sit down, she did so, reaching to pull out her book as well as a small paper bag. “Would you like chocolate? I have peppermint, caramel, and cherry.”

Terry blinked owlishly behind his glasses. “Um- uh- caramel please.”

Lena nodded, pulling out a single wrapped chocolate in the shape of a ‘J’ and setting it in front of the boy. “There you go.” With one last smile, she opened her book again to the page she’d dog-eared and started to read.

The study hall went peacefully and she was engrossed in reading when a hand tapped her shoulder.

Blinking up at where Daphne was smiling at her questioningly, she sighed. “Ah. It’s time for Nicolas’ death maze, isn’t it? Very well.” Folding the corner of the page, she stood with a smile to the boy watching her curiously. “Oh, I almost forgot- I’m Lena. Lena Farland.”

“I know.” The boy flushed slightly, stuttering adorably as he ducked his hand. “I mean- well- you’re the Queen of Slytherin and- and- I mean everyone knows who you are!”

She held out her hand, with an amused smile. “And you?”

The boy flushed further. “Oh- I-” Seeming to catch himself, he took her hand nervously. “I’m Terry Boot, Miss Lena.”

“No ‘miss’. Just Lena. All my friends call me that.” Pretending like the boy’s wide-eyed look at the term didn’t upset her slightly, she glanced at Daphne, who looked amused with all of this and released his hand slowly. “If you need somewhere to sit we always have room at Slytherin.”

“Oh, I couldn’t...”

_ “He’s not worth it.” _

_ Shut up. _

She arched an eyebrow, something about Riddle’s tone making her rash and wanting to prove him wrong. “Tomorrow. Breakfast. You’ll sit next to me.”

The boy immediately nodded, looking a bit overwhelmed. “Oh- okay.”

“And let me or one of the other snakes know should anyone have a problem with you. I’ll skin them.” Then she nodded and turned on her heel, starting for the door to the hall, pretending she wasn’t slightly out of her normal waters of interacting with people.

“What was _ that_?”

Lena made a soft sound of frustration. “His soul is probably made of _cotton _compared to me… It’s adorable, but I think I might be the worst thing to ever happen to that poor lamb.”

Daphne just laughed brightly, patting her shoulder. “Or the best. Now come on. Let’s try not to die to your crazy alchemist friend’s insane ideas of physical exercise.”

To her surprise, a nervous-looking Terry Boot was already waiting at the end of the Slytherin table when she came in earlier than the rest of her house, as was usual. “Terry. Wonderful. Have you been up long?”

“Just- well- maybe a bit?” The boy shrugged shyly, not looking at her. “I’m a morning person.”

“Ugh. Disgusting.” Starting to walk away, she paused when she realized he wasn’t following her. With a mental sigh, she moved back to where the boy had frozen with wide eyes, putting a hand on his shoulder softly. “Sorry, that was supposed to be a sarcastic jab. I personally hate mornings and everything they stand for. I didn’t mean it as an insult.”

Terry looked at her for a long moment, before seeming to come back to his senses and flushing. “Oh- oh sorry I didn’t mean to-”

“Don’t do that. You had every right to be upset with my bad joke.” Taking hold of his wrist lightly, she pulled him towards the head of the Slytherin table. “Sit and read if you want, no one will bother you here.”

“I-... thanks.” Shy brown eyes crinkled slightly around the edges even if his lips were being pressed together in what looked like slight mortification.

Lena just nodded, as she too had this slight embarrassment building in her chest at her actions, though she was significantly better at hiding it. “So you like Arithmancy? I’m not all that great at it, though I do okay. I like Runes better.”

_ “How disgustingly Ravenclaw.” _

_ You’re really being a prat, you know that?” _

Riddle scoffed. _ “He’s not worth your time.” _

Terry smiled widely, seeming to come to life with the question. “Well it’s all basic math and- and I’ve always been good at math! Potions are enough like Chemistry too- but, well, I’m not too good at Charms or Transfiguration...” 

“Then maybe if you help me in Arithmancy I can help you in Charms and Transfiguration?”

_ “I don’t understand. What do you see in him?” _

When the boy beamed and started to talk about Arithmancy proofs that were way above her head, she just smiled and put her chin in her hands. 

_ What I see is someone not tainted by blood and darkness. I see hope and retribution, dear… I see _sunshine_. _

_ “You’ll never be able to keep him, less stain that purity with your bloody hands. I only want what’s best for you, darling... Let him go.” _

_ I can’t talk to you right now- not when you’re blatantly trying to manipulate me. _

Taking off the locket, she slipped it in her bag, starting to guide Terry into a part of Arithmancy she understood better so they could talk.

Dumbledore was sitting in a chair by the window in his office when she opened the door without even bothering to knock, moving around the ornate desk to sit in his chair, knowing the man would speak his mind when he wanted.

The specially-made muggle chair that would help with back pain was carved with runes she and Sinestra had collaborated on to make the chair look like his usual throne as not to upset the sensitive Board of Directors. 

Lena was spinning around in the muggle chair lazily when the man finally spoke.

“I heard... that you are fighting as a general in the war I started.” 

_ “Started?” _

She voiced the thought that Riddle had. “And how did _you _start this war? It was Tom that went mad with power.”

Blue eyes were sad and tired as they caught hers. “I did not believe. I could not see past Tom Riddle’s flaws and instead pushed him further into the dark magic he was so tempted by.” The man’s eyes flickered to where she was wearing the locket and she moved to tuck it under her shirt to hide it instinctively. Dumbledore looked back out the window. “That be-damned prophecy though… ruined so many lives.”

“Prophecy? Theodore’s father- he said something about-” Stopping the chair and closing her eyes, she tried to remember his exact words. “He told me… the Dark Lord would be pleased to know I would die or something, but before he said that, he said that I was one of the two twins of the Prophecy.” 

Dumbledore didn’t look at her _(or couldn’t)_.

Lena clenched her hands on the armrests of the chair. “I thought he was crazy. I thought…”

“The prophecy was- _ is _real.” Standing, the old headmaster moved to a bookshelf to her right and pulled out a thick tome, laying it on the desk and flipping it open. Inside the hollow box disguised to look like a book was a glass orb that seemed to be floating around in a magical containment center. “There was said to be a child that would be the downfall of the Dark Lord born at the end of July, ‘as the seventh month dies’. That neither could live while the other survives.”

She just stared at the broken glass shards, voice coming out in a whisper. “It’s real then.”

The man nodded, something of a frown on his face before he turned away. “It is. And that is where the mystery comes in. I had thought that one of you would have to die, that I would have to raise you or your brother to kill my former student… but then after that night, I thought maybe because both of you had died, that it was over. But you came out of the shadows, along with him… and now I don’t know what to think.”

Lena reached out, listening to the prophecy in absent horror, and when the last line finished she let it go and sunk back into the chair. “It’s predicted. Final. This… this has to happen?”

“I don’t know.” Dumbledore moved back to his chair. “I thought during the war that fighting was the only way to survive Voldemort’s madness… But know I just don’t know.”

“How?” Her stare was on the orb, her voice vacant as if trying to connect how this small glass orb had effectively ruined her life, hand twitching as she controlled her urge to smash it. “Who, if this was here… who told Voldemort?”

The man only looked at her with those tired eyes for a long moment, voice soft. “Lena, dear child, you don’t want to-”

“TELL ME!” Her face was flushed with anger, hands clenched on the chair as her voice then sunk to a deadly whisper. “If this prophecy was spoken in confidence to you, then what Death Eater would be close enough to you to tell-...” 

And then, in the cold light of the setting sun, she had a realization.

A horrible, horrible realization that wormed its way into her brain and cut into her heart, taking a deep breath and letting it out in something ragged with her eyes burning. Closing them against tears, she thought she could feel her throat clogging up with the betrayal.

_ Severus Snape. _

_ Severus Snape had told Voldemort the prophecy. _

“Lena,” The old man stood with soft footsteps, “you have to listen to me. It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know it was your family that was-”

“Does that make it _okay_?” It was a bare whisper, cracking slightly.

Dumbledore paused for a long moment. “He was working outside of Hogwarts at the time, under Voldemort when he heard the prophecy, as it had happened without warning in one of the Hog’s Head’s rooms. If he had not told what he’d heard- the first few lines- then he would have been killed as Tom was past insane at the time.” A hand settled on her shoulder. “After he found out who Voldemort had killed because of him he came to me as a last resort, drowning in guilt and liquor, and asked if I would save him even knowing what he did. I did.”

There was the sound of shattering glass from around her as the room shook slightly with the force of the windows exploding, her temper rising to where the bookshelves were rattling on the walls. “The prophecy was spoken in _ The Hog’s Head? _ ” The wood of the desk creaked dangerously. “Is my life- my fate- my happiness… worth so _ little _ to you?”

“Lena, I was interviewing teachers.” Dumbledore held up his hands just slightly, not even blinking at how his office was being ripped apart by her magic. “I didn’t know what fate had in store.”

The shaking slowly lessened as she curled up in the chair and put her head to her knees.

“Lena-”

“Quiet. I’m trying not to kill you.” Her voice was waspish, but Dumbledore clearly knew better than to say anything about it.

The grandfather clock in the corner of the room filled the space with quiet ticking and she slowly breathed through all her feelings, trying to get back to a rational state of mind. 

After a few minutes, the old man spoke, seeming to sense her magic slowly coiling back under her skin. “The reason I brought you here today was that Severus told me about the promise you made to him about keeping yourself safe until you turn 17 and I wanted to encourage you to not come back to Hogwarts next year.”

_ “WHAT?” _Riddle's voice was a surprised shout.

Lena looked up, feeling as tired and emotionally drained as the man looked, the bags under his blue eyes seeming more prominent along with his wrinkles. “...What?”

“I thought perhaps young Mr. Malfoy would have told you, but Lucius Malfoy is running to be the next Minister. Along with that, Lord Gaunt- who I am not sure if I trust with you yet- has decided to take up the Defence Professor’s position next year as well as being on the school board.” There was then something to the man’s eyes, something like regret paired with determination as he stood from the armchair by the window. “I would like you to have my wand, as I have another, and even if it isn’t as powerful as this one I will at least know that you are protected.”

“You,” her voice broke slightly, “...you’re giving up. Aren’t you? You expect them to kill you- to replace you from the post you’ve held fast for so long...”

The Headmaster nodded. “There is little I can do now. Those I fought with in the first war have kids of their own or are too old to face this coming force.” Moving forward, the man put a gentle hand on her head. “You, my dear, are the last hope we have and I will not make you face this before you are ready. So I ask that you run. Run... and take my wand with you.”

Lena couldn’t breathe.

She was only fifteen and yes, Jack had told her she’d do great things, but running from an oppressive government until she could take down a Dark Lord three times her age wasn’t what she thought he’d meant by that.

When she finally found her voice, it was hoarse and strangled, as she was currently ignoring that she was on the edge of crying. “You will _not_ lay down and die.” Standing and knocking his hand off her head, she narrowed her eyes at him. “I will take your wand and run, fine, but if I do then you have to promise me that you will fight to your last breath to keep all those that I care about safe. You will have them write letters for me and send those letters when you can, keep them from Voldemort’s gaze- and _most importantly-_ tell me if he so much as takes a threatening step towards one of them.”

_ “You’re just going to- to run away?” _

_ I have no choice. In the state I am in now, with the government against me, I won’t be able to act unless I get stronger and I won’t be able to do that under Voldemort’s gaze. _

Dumbledore nodded. “I will do that, as well as get some guides and portkeys to places I know are safe and out of sight. However, I ask that you go to the Potter’s for the first month of your summer so that I can make sure that when Tom thinks you are out of the county, I can see where he searches so I know where not to send you.”

As she nodded, not able- in her tired exhaustion- to say no, she started to dread this plan.

_ What kind of boring and horrible ‘safe places’ away from her family would he send her? _

Lena found herself laying, sprawled out against the sofa in the Chamber of Secrets, staring at the ceiling that she’d charmed to look like the night sky. 

(She’d needed something to do with her magic that wasn’t destroying something.)

** _:Delphi… what would you think if someone told you that you had to kill someone because of a prophecy?:_ ** Her voice echoed slightly off the walls and though the snake wasn’t in sight, she knew that she’d be heard.

Like a ghost, Delphi slid out from behind a statue where she sometimes curled up, moving to instead loop herself around the sofa and laying her large diamond head over Lena’s torso. One great big poison green eye blinked slowly at her. ** _:Prophecies can often be misleading. What was spoken?:_ **

** _:The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies and the Dark Lord will mark her as his equal, but she will have power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.: _ **Lena recited the words easily having been thinking them over for the last hour or two, trying to find some meaning or sign that she had any chance to survive against the Dark Lord.

The snake seemed to consider her words. ** _:Shall I eat the person opposing you?:_ **

Lena snorted softly, petting a hand over the scales and shaking her head. ** _:They too are a speaker and I would not have you go against your nature just to hurt them.:_ **

_ “That is what the other version of me did.” _ Riddle sounded curious about her words. 

_ And the other version of you was being an idiot. _

_ “...fair enough.” _

** _:Then Heiress will have to fight them.:_ **

She nodded absently, as she’d already come to that conclusion. ** _:Yes… that is what I fear.:_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We will see more of Terry yet! :) And as for the other part, I had an idea that was just cemented when one of my lovely friends reminded me that Lena didn't know of the prophecy~  
We'll have to see what happens next... later ;)


	40. The Art of Making Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, it me, Mango and I /am/ alive <3  
Since I'm stuck here (here being this house with my fluffy cats and a headache), I thought I would offer this up for your consumption.  
I hope everyone's doing well, staying sane and inside!

Perenelle found her by the lake, the night air crisp and she couldn’t feel her cheeks, sure that her tears had turned to ice by now. Sitting down next to her, the Frenchwoman draped a blanket over her shoulders. “You look like you’re freezing.”

Lena didn’t answer for a long moment, just looking out across the lake. “I’m supposed to fight Voldemort and I…” She licked her lips, unable to find the right words for the turmoil in her chest.

“I understand. If someone told me that I had to fight Nicolas to save the world, I am not sure I would be able to raise my wand.” A warm arm pulled her into the woman’s side, her head resting against Perry’s shoulder as the woman spoke in a mournful voice. “And though I will never stop being proud of you, I understand it will hurt to harm your other half.”

She didn’t respond.

There was no point.

But Perenelle seemed to understand her silence just as well as any words, looking down at her with furrowed eyebrows. “You… you don’t plan on harming him... You plan on losing?”

“By the time I am done running there will only be a man instead of some immortal creature of fear. I am sure that one of those I trust will be more than lethal enough to strike To-_ Voldemort _down when I fall.” Her smile was something that didn’t fit on her face, as fake as the gold beads in Perenelle’s hair even if just as pretty. “...they all seem to get that from me.”

“Oh, my dear child.” The whisper was more like a prayer for her as arms wrapped around her snuggly. “You deserve so much more than even what magnificence you have shaped with those bloody and worn hands of yours.”

Lena snorted softly. “I deserve the world, just like Jack used to say… but sometimes I think I am just too weak to reach out and take it.”

“Never weak. Only kind.” This was whispered into her hair, and they sunk into silence.

Hands reaching up to curl in the edges of the blanket, she gripped onto the soft fabric tightly as if it would help her to drift away. “Wouldn’t you? If Nick couldn’t recognize you from any other faceless enemy- would you be able to fight back, even knowing that he would be dangerous to everyone else?”

Perenelle’s eyes were deeply saddened when she studied Lena for a moment, before looking back to the lake, a tear slipping down the woman’s cheek that she pretended not to notice. “No… I think I would do the same as you.”

Nodding just slightly, as she knew this before she’d even asked, they sat in a comfortable silence watching the stars glimmer off the lake.

“You’re avoiding me.”

Not looking up from her book on shady magics that Dumbledore had let her have out of his office- the pale wand _ (that, strangely, she’d had to ‘win’ from the old man over a game of chess) _ in her boot pressing against her leg like a constant reminder of _why _she was avoiding her guardian's presence- she shrugged. “That’s an interesting theory.”

Severus Snape sighed and sat down on the table in front of her chair, manners obviously not in play if he was doing such (even in private). “Lena. We said we’d work on talking things out…” 

“Oh, you wanted to talk? Then talk.” Sitting back, she crossed her legs and looked at the man with a cool stare.

“What- why are you acting like this?” Severus was frowning at her, eyebrows drawn down as he hissed the words in a whisper as if that would stop her from being upset. “Your moods change so much and I never know what I did wrong! Can’t you just let me know what I did wrong and let me _ apologize_?”

Lena let her magic pool under the skin of her hands, clenching them as her nails sunk into the leather for a moment, before finally releasing them along with a short huff of air. “October 31st, 1981.”

The man’s face froze, eyes watching her as if she wasn’t a girl anymore but a poisonous viper that he knew could kill him in seconds.

“Tell me…” Sitting forward, she tilted her head as she studied him, hands still on the arms of her chair to control her temper. “Should I forgive you for ruining my life? Should I forgive you when it wasn’t Voldemort who destroyed my childhood but _ you_?”

“Lena…” His voice was a whisper.

She looked into his eyes, seeing the way that the exact truth she’d spoken had already been eating away at the man, standing smoothly and looking at the man blankly. “I never thought _you _were the one to tell the Dark Lord about the prophecy that sealed my fate. Do you two still talk? Are you pen-pals? Do you tell him how his enemy likes chocolate and reading to people, or maybe you just told him about what I was learning so he knew how I would fight when he came to kill me?” 

“I would never-”

“Right, whatever, you still got your wish in the end.” Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she started for the door. “Dumbledore’s sending me away next year and even _ I _don’t know where I’ll be going.”

Lena found herself sitting in the library, curled up in a sunbeam under one of the large windows. She could feel eyes on her, but then again that was normal, as most of the first years were a bit awed by her presence before they got it through their heads that she wasn’t really any more than a mentor and guide for the house to look to when they needed something.

Flipping open a book on household charms and jotting down a few notes to expand on them later, she sighed and let her arm fall to the side. 

She was still stuck on her conversation with Severus, plaguing her mind with betrayal and doubt. Lena felt like her stomach had twisted itself into a knot thinking about what her life would have been like if the man hadn't done what he did.

Standing, she shuffled a few books around to get the stack she was done with, then moving through the isles to place each book back where it was needed. 

The tingling sensation of being watched got stronger as she rounded the shelf to put away the last few tomes.

“So about that- uh- that help with Charms and Transfiguration...” A voice came out of seemingly nowhere and she stiffened slightly, almost fumbling the books in her hands as she looked up to see Terry Boot watching her. 

“Oh, hey Terry.” With a thin smile, she slid another of the books back on the shelf, then frowning slightly. “Did you see any first-years snakes around here? I thought I could feel a few little snakes watching me.” Lena discretely scanned the open spots around her general area, sending the boy a small smile.

Terry shrugged slightly, shaking his head. “Not that I’ve seen... Can I help you with those books?” Reaching out, he took a few off the top of her stack before she could reply.

Brushing it off as wanting to help, she offered up a slightly larger lopsided smile. “I'm just putting back the ones I don't need anymore, but thank you.” And when all the books were back in their proper places, she padded back to where she’d been sitting, pulling out the course books for their year in case he hadn’t had the chance to grab his. “What's giving you so much trouble with Charms? We can work through the different spells a bit first before moving on to Transfiguration.” Setting the large tome McGonagall had assigned for the year aside, she lifted her gaze to find the boy already staring at her.

“I have the theory down,” he then looked away slightly as his cheeks flushed with what she could guess was mostly shame, “but it’s the execution that I can't seem to get right...” 

_ “What a wonderful and interesting person to be around that can’t even do a few simple charms,” _Tom scoffed in her head.

_ Big talk for someone who can’t produce a Patronus. Isn’t that a charm? _

Tom was silent for a little while as Terry and her made plans for the next day to use an abandoned classroom to get the practicals down and she reached up to take out the locket and brush her fingers against it gently in apology.

_ Sorry… I know you’ve been told that was because of some moral failing and I know it’s really because you didn’t have the right memories to use, I just- _

_ “It’s alright, Lena.” _ Riddle’s voice was soft, though there was a slight smile to his voice. _ “You did well holding your ground when I was being rude and I won’t fault you for that. Plus, I have every intention to someday wow you with my Patronus, as I’m sure it will turn out to be a silvery figure of you.” _

Her lips curved up in a fond smile.

“Lena… Lena?” Terry shook her shoulder slightly and she restrained herself from pushing his hand off her, as she realized he was just trying to get her attention, having probably spaced out. 

“Sorry- what’s up?” She tucked the locket back in her shirt with a small smile to the boy before looking to where he was trying to get her to look over a paper, missing how his eyes lingered on the gold chain around her neck for a second longer before he started to ask for her advice on his most recent transfiguration essay.

Blaise threw back his head with an echoing laugh that had the others around them smiling as well, Theo continuing with his story. “-but then- get this- Mr. Malfoy turns the corner and sees us sprawled out across the grass. Now Dray’s got barbecue sauce all over his pants, I’m missing my shirt because of that stray hawk we had to fight off, and- and he just shakes his head and-” The boy paused to gasp for laughter as Draco groaned and buried his face further into Charlie’s neck where the Hufflepuff had joined their group for the evening. “And then he says ‘I wish I had a daughter’ and just turned around!”

By this point Theo and Blaise are in hysterics, Draco’s ears red with embarrassment even though he’s also laughing, Ginny cackling hard enough that the redhead isn’t able to continue braiding Daphne’s hair.

Lena chuckled softly, shaking her head slightly at the story they’d heard before, as it seemed to get funnier every single time Theo told it. “Of course I am required to remind you that, Draco and you are perfect as you are and I wish not a single difference on you.”

This helped Theo calm down a bit, grinning at her brightly. “Thanks, Lena-beana.”

“Of course, Theo-weoh.” Her voice was mocking, rolling her eyes when Daphne and Ginny snickered lightly.

_ “Your friends are humorous, if ridiculous.” _

_ Glad to hear you’re starting to finally warm up to them, darling, as it’s been a long time coming. _

“Hey Lena,” Warrington caught her eye from across the room, at the door to the Common room. “There’s a- uh- Terry Boot who wants to come in?”

Riddle sighed. _ “Not this fool again.” _

_ And we're back to being petty. _

Tilting her head slightly as she wondered what the boy wanted, she waved her hand with an appreciative smile. “He can come in, thanks, Cassius.” Then standing from her hair and stepping carefully around where Blaise had been sitting in front of her chair, she started for the other side of the room when her eyes caught on Terry. “Oh my-”

Sporting a purpling black-eye, the boy smiled at her faintly, glancing behind her at the court. “I- uh- I didn’t know where else to go…”

_ “Preferably a shallow grave.” _

She ignored Riddle. “No- it’s okay, I’m just-... what happened?” Taking a hold of his arm gently, she guided him to sit down in her chair, Blaise hissing and standing up in a rage when apparently Terry stepped on his hand.

“What the hell?!”

Seeing Terry flinch back, she put a hand on Blaise’s chest. “Hey. Zucchini… can you look at me?” When dark eyes finally fixed on her, she reached out to take his hand in hers, magic soothing his pain and fixing anything possibly wrong. “I’m sure that he didn’t see you, right Terry?”

“Y-yeah I… sorry Zabini.” 

She didn’t look away from her friend, smiling softly and then brushing a hand against his cheek gently. “I’m sorry I didn’t warn him you were sitting there. Are you alright?”

With a glance behind her, the boy nodded a bit stiffly, though his eyes softened when they looked back at her. “Yeah, I’m alright. Because of you, not despite you, alright? It wasn’t your fault.” Then he dipped his head just slightly to press his forehead to hers, before pulling away and moving to tuck himself against Ginny and Daphne.

_ “Sure. He still has one good eye and still can’t see Zabini’s noticeable figure enough to not fully tread on the boy’s hand? Give me a break.” _

_ Riddle, darling, please spare me the conspiracies. _

Lena almost felt as if the common room had gotten colder, but a glance to the fire told her nothing had changed there, frowning slightly.

“That-” There was a hiss from behind her. "Ow, that hurts..."

Spinning around, she gave a small smile to the boy she’d almost forgotten. “Sorry about that, let’s see about that ugly wound of yours…” Perching herself on the side of the chair so she could get close enough, she hummed at the slowly purpling skin. 

“What’s it look like?” Lucian Bole moved to stand next to her with his medicine bag, frowning at the boy. “Hm. Not great then.”

“Can you help? If not then-”

The older Slytherin smiled at her, waving it off. “It’s fine, Lena. You shouldn’t have to be running around wasting your raw magic on something so simple.”

Terry seemed to tense, shying into her side. “I- I want Lena to heal it.” Then the boy looked up with slightly watery eyes. “If- if that’s… alright with you? I mean, I just- I’m not sure about...” His eyes flicked from Lucian to her.

“Alright. If that’s what you’d prefer.” She turned back to her snake, whose face had gone somewhat blank with careful neutrality and she wondered slightly if the boy was upset with her. “Thank you, Lucian. I appreciate that you’re so willing to help.”

“Of course Lena.” With a small smile her way, the elder Slytherin stood with his bag in hand. “Anytime.”

A hand tugged at her sleeve slightly, Terry wincing softly. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to-”

Putting a hand on the side of his head to keep him still, his voice cutting off, she laid her other hand over the bruised skin. “It’s alright. This won’t hurt, so just relax.” She then let her magic reach out to heal the wound, taking away the pain.

And after that, she was pulled into a conversation on what they’d been going over in Charms, almost not noticing when Ginny brushed a hand against her shoulder to let her know they were heading to bed.

_ “Doesn’t this boy seem to be taking up more of your time than is rational?” _

_ If you have no other basis for your foul mood but the jealousy that you’re not everything my world revolves around, then I’m inclined to ignore you. _

Riddle scoffed slightly. _ “Of course I am jealous. I have to be stuck in this damned locket whilst my soulmate is being wooed over by, frankly, the worst flirting I’ve ever seen. That still does not make my question any less valid.” _

Eyes sliding to the side, she sighed under her breath, fingers moving to brush against the locket. _ “Darling, Terry’s only real friend at the moment is me, it’s no wonder he’s come to me before anyone else. Now if you’ll let me finish my conversation with him, I’d be happy to curl up in your arms as soon as I can.” _

_ “Fine... I will await your sunshine presence with eager-” _

“Lena?” Terry snapped his fingers slightly, smiling slightly when she blinked at him. “Oh, hey, are you alright? I thought you’d fallen asleep or something.” His eyes though lingered on the locket for a moment with a small frown.

Tucking it back under her shirt, she nodded. “Yeah, just a bit tired I guess. What were we talking about?”

It was needless to say that she fell asleep almost the second that Riddle pulled her into his arms so he could card a hand through her hair, having stayed up later talking to Terry than she’d expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lena: I like Terry, he's sweet 😘  
Tom, under his breath: You're walking in the woods. There's no one around and your phone is dead. Out of the corner of your eye, you spot him: Terry Boot.  
Lena, ignoring Tom: He's such a sweetheart 😊  
Tom, louder this time: Fighting for your life with Terry Boot- Wrestling a knife from Terry Boot- Stab him in his kidney... Safe at last from Terry Boot!  
Lena: Okay wtf  
~  
(it's okay, my brain is just mush and this was the thought I kept having during this chapter)  
Also, a big thanks to Ryuu- who is here to keep me from yeeting myself out the window while trying to write this story <3


	41. The Art of Coveting That Which Isn't Yours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So. Y'all are going to hate me for this, I know it already, but I mean... after the last chapter did anyone really hold out hope for Terry?  
^-^ I love you all and hope that everyone's being safe!  
WARNINGS- mentions of unhealthy relationships (even for the standards of Tomarry, geez), Terry being a creep/absolute psychopath

Terry had never considered himself a religious man.

His parents swore to something beyond his bounds of logic and though it had brought him nothing but grief from them, he didn't care. He was magic and they were not, not to mention he was far smarter than they would ever be and he had already been practicing erasing small memories of him, buying books from Knocturn so one day… he would not be tied to them anymore.

Free of the burden that came with the idiots.

And yet…

He supposed his lack of belief in a higher power before was because he hadn't seen how much it could benefit him until Lena Farland had sat down before him with a smile more beautiful than any he'd ever had sent his way.

As if fate or some higher power had sent her to him.

Terry was never good at things like moderation and what he wanted usually ended up in his hands one way or another, so when something so coveted was set right in front of him- well- he wanted it.

At first, it had been a purely selfish desire, but after immersing himself into Lena’s life, he then understood his real purpose and the reason she found him.

The woman that called herself his mother had always told him that there would always be someone better and wasn’t that so very true in this case? Lena was a leader of many and the idol of more- so, in this case, wasn’t it her greatest and deepest wish to then find someone better than herself to look up to?

She had found him to show him his true potential- even if he had always known he was made to be greater than those that had long kept him under contempt.

But first, he had to get her to somehow take off that be-damned locket.

Lena seemed to think that though the Slytherins seemed to worship the ground she walked on- the rest of the school having been won over by her neutrality in not hating the rest of the houses and how brilliant she had been during the Tri-wizard Tournament- she was only known to those that she knew. 

Where in reality, there was a whole rumor chain about the girl and her mystery memory of ‘Tom’, many rumors about them popping up over time.

He, however, only had the patience to think about one that fit logically to the situation.

The memory of this boy- _the one that Lena was so fond of-_ was stored in that locket.

Terry wasn’t about to conclude if that was true or not, but he had noticed that she was more distracted from him when she had it with her and less likely to accept the gentle way he wanted to show her that he’d accepted his place, that it was alright to let go of the ‘independence’ she was clutching onto because her last strong male figure had died when she was young.

And by… _ rewording _a few of the other Slytherin’s words when he’d asked about the locket and then coming to her as if concerned, she was already wearing the gold accessory less.

It was taking longer than he thought, as the idea that she was in charge, that she was a natural leader that so many other deluded fools had pushed onto her had been there for a long time.

But that was alright, as he was patient and he would be waiting patiently when she accepted her place in his life.

After all, there was nothing sweeter than winning.

Terry found her with a small smile in one of their usual study sessions, except instead of sitting down, he held out his hand shyly. “I was thinking we could go somewhere today.”

Blinking slowly, Lena stood up and moved to clutch her books to her chest. “If that helps you study, sure. Where are you thinking?”

Taking her hand, he smiled at her brightly and moved to pull her down the hall towards the doors to the entrance hall. “I was thinking of something we could do since we had a study session planned today anyway and, well, I made us a picnic!” He held up a small basket, smiling brightly.

“Is today… special?” She tilted her head and let herself be pulled along, wondering what the occasion was.

Looking at her with slightly furrowed eyebrows for a moment, his face then broke into a small amused smile. “Yeah, it’s Valentine’s Day!” They stopped in the middle of the grassy hill and she watched as he spread out a blanket he pulled out of his basket, sitting down. Looking up at her, he patted the blanket. “Sit?”

Sitting down, she folded her legs under herself, smiling in amusement at the boy as she watched him unpack his basket. “I don’t think I’ve ever celebrated Valentine’s Day.”

“That’s alright.” Terry glanced at her. “It just means that it’s something we can do ourselves. It makes it special.”

Finding herself liking the lack of pity and ‘aw, you poor child’ ridiculousness that she usually got when admitting the gaps in her childhood, she scooted closer so she could help him set out the food, amazed by the amount of preparation he must have given the picnic. “I feel almost as if I should have gotten you something.”

_ “Why would you do that when you didn’t even know it was a holiday?” _

Terry smiled at her, rubbing the back of his neck as if embarrassed. “Well… maybe you could make me one of those cloaks that Zabini was telling one of the fourth-years about? The one you made for the fellow at the Ministry?”

_ “How… rude.” _ Riddle’s voice was a sneer. _ “Asking for something after supposedly planning a surprise that wasn’t supposed to have strings…” _

_ Play nice. I doubt that it’s as malicious a suggestion as you make it seem. _

A hand held something up to her face. “Strawberry?”

Blinking and seeing he was holding out a chocolate strawberry, she gave him a smile of appreciation and then moved to take the fruit from his fingers. “Thanks.” Then seeing him reach into the basket once again, she tilted her head slightly when he pulled out a small flat box. “What’s that?”

“Something special for the prettiest girl I know. I- I thought that you’d like it.”

Taking the offered box, she slowly cracked it open, staring at the gold chain that was looped into a small gold coin that looked to be engraved with small designs. “Oh… Terry this is beautiful, thank you.” Gently pulling it from the box, she held it up in the light and watched it shine.

“I hope- well- I thought that it would look good on you. I hope you wear it…”

“It’s wonderful, of course, I will.” Unhooking the clasp, she made sure it was on forward and then reached around to clasp it again, taking her hair and pulling it gently out of the chain. Then bringing it up to rub her finger over the engraved patterns, she gave him a bright smile to soothe where he looked a bit worried as if he was anticipating something. “See? It fits perfectly!”

With a sort of frown, he nodded. “Yeah, I just… your locket kind of blocks it and- and I was hoping to see it on you without-… you know, nevermind.” He smiled at her thinly. “I’m just glad you like it.”

Eyebrows pulling down slightly, she let her finger brush against the warmth of the locket. “It’s alright. I can take off the locket for a moment- you did plan all of this for me after all.”

His face brightened. “Really?”

_ “Don’t you dare. Lena, I don’t like this one bit.” _

_ Darling, it’s only for a moment, alright? I promise that you would never be replaced with some golden trinket, gift or not. _

Riddle was obviously not pleased, but he huffed before giving in. _ “...I trust you.” _

Smiling slightly, she unclasped the locket and then set it down, expecting to feel that creeping cold that always bothered her like an itch she couldn't scratch when Riddle wasn’t with her… but instead, the place where her hand was touching the locket now just felt as if it was burning.

As if the heat was too much.

_ ...weren’t Tom and her fighting about Terry anyway? _

Frowning slightly and tucking the locket in her bag, she smiled brightly at Terry. “Sorry about that. What were you saying?”

Things were alright.

Terry was here for her.

But as she found comfort in his presence and they started to date only a week later, her dreams seemed to get worse and when she woke up gasping from a nightmare of a cold wasteland, she found that the gold coin she now always wore- _ why did she wear it again?- _ had started to crack slightly.

It was raining out, her eyes looking longingly to where the window was weeping with the water falling from the eve above. “Why don’t we go outside, take a walk in the rain?”

“Why would we do that?” Terry’s voice was distant from where he was reading, his arm slung around her shoulders heavily and though they ached slightly at the weight she didn’t feel like bringing it up only for him to tell her that it was the most comfortable position for him. 

“Wouldn’t it be sort of romantic, kissing in the rain?” She kept her tone light, hoping that would persuade the boy into doing it as he would have jumped at the chance in the past. “Perenelle told me that-”

Terry scoffed softly. “Lena, you know you don’t have to listen to the Flamels. They’re not your parents and anyway, aren’t you independent enough to think for yourself?”

Her skin prickled slightly, something she couldn’t place rising in the back of her brain to protest that as she wiggled out from under his arm with a frown of discontent. “What does that mean? What- I shouldn’t take advice from my mentors now?”

“No, just that don’t you think it’s a bit strange to always fall back onto needing a parental figure to approve of everything you do?” Terry’s brow furrowed, eyes darting to her necklace. “I thought you were a Queen! I thought that you stood above them and you didn’t want to have to conform to whatever mushy relationship standards other people set for you!”

Lena’s magic surged out, surrounding them as her eyes narrowed and for a moment they were both still before she pulled it back slowly with a deep exhale. “Maybe I want to have that perfect mushy relationship someday but just don’t know how. Did you think of that?” When he opened his mouth, she shook her head and picked up her bag. “I’m going to go take a shower and see how my court is doing. I’ll see you later.” 

And when she was drying off her hair after soaking in the warmth of the water falling in droplets to kiss her skin soothingly, her hand drifted to where the locket was sitting on the side of her makeup table, wanting whatever comfort Tom would offer.

But when she brushed her fingers against it, it felt like her skin was burning and she immediately pulled away.

Right. He was probably mad at her.

Instead of entertaining the other Slytherins like she had told Terry, she changed her mind halfway down the stairs and instead went to sit in Nicolas’ chair while he finished up the rest of his elective for a class of sixth years. 

When the students were filling out and moving to get on with their weekend day, the man turned to smile at her fondly. “Little Lena, what’s the occasion? I haven’t seen you around here recently, are you working on a project of yours?”

“No, I…” Thinking about it, she frowned slightly. “I guess I’ve been spending all my time with Terry- the Ravenclaw? We started dating a little while ago and… I think I like him.”

Humming and moving to stand by her as he put away the different books that he’d probably pulled out as a reference. “Where is your locket?” The man looked at her with knowing eyes. “The one that you always clutch so tightly when so speak about the possibility of love?”

Lena looked away. “Terry said that it’s clunky and doesn’t go with my skin tone.”

But even though she was trying to just use one of the boy’s offhand comments as an excuse to not have to explain herself, there was something of a bad taste that the words left her with.

“Perhaps he should worry about himself. I think it compliments your eyes quite well.” Nicolas then turned to look at her, reference books forgotten. “I will put it simply. I do not like this ‘Terry’ very much and think you deserve better.”

Something about the words rubbed at what Terry had mentioned earlier about her needing approval and she stood with a huff. “Then it’s good I didn’t ask, isn’t it? Because I’m dating him, not you!”

“Is that also something he said?” The man’s lips pulled down disapprovingly.

Lena bristled. “What if it is? Who cares- he’s my boyfriend and he’s supposed to look after me, alright?”

Nicolas peered at her for a long moment before holding up his hands in a sign of surrender, going back to his books. She took a deep breath to cool some of her irritation, the man speaking up after a moment of silence. “And what about Severus? Isn’t he supposed to look after you as well?”

Deciding that was the last straw and not wanting to curse the man, she stalked out of the room, heading for a quiet corner in the library. 

Turning the last row of shelves, she found Terry sitting in her usual spot with a book in his hands. Looking up, he raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were talking to that Professor friend of yours.”

“I- yeah, I thought maybe seeing Nick would help but he’s just pissing me off right now.”

“If you could not yell at me and then lie about where you’re going next time, that would be wonderful. I thought that you’d be in the Common Room and went to take you hot chocolate, but instead found out that you’d ditched me to go visit your ‘mentor’.”

Lena sat down next to the boy with a sigh, bringing a hand up to rub at the bridge of her nose. “I didn’t think that it would matter that much.”

“Lena,” taking her hands and pulling them so she was looking at him the boy looked at her with furrowed eyebrows, “you’re the first person to actually see me- to care about me and I don’t know what I would do if you were hurt or if I lost you. If you left me… I don’t know what I would do. Without you- well- I wouldn’t have a reason to live.”

She didn’t know how to react to the admittance that she was that important to him, moving to lace her fingers in his with a concerned smile. “Don’t talk like that, okay? I’m not going anywhere and you have so many different reasons to live- past that you’re brilliant, of course.”

Luckily this got him to crack a small smile, leaning in with his voice just barely drifting over her lips. “Of course.”

Then he was kissing her bruisingly, hand tangling in her hair and she relaxed, knowing they were alright. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any views that Terry expressed do not mean I myself hold the same views, he is a fictional character and though I'm a bit sorry I made him so... fanatical, that was how he developed in my mind when I wrote this.  
Anyway, with that aside...  
Who else hates him? ^-^


	42. The Art of Revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We! Get! To! End! Terry!  
(Or, well, his relationship with Lena at least. Tom can do the rest later ^-^)  


It took two months for her to realize that Tom had been right about Terry Boot.

Two months for the nightmares and red flags to crack the golden necklace in half, making her realize that the bad things were louder when she wasn’t being influenced by whatever magic was on that pendant.

And then Lena started to notice that his sunshine had been almost completely diminished. 

He was now teaching older Slytherins how to run pyramid schemes in the common room, laughing at Theo’s dark jokes about killing other annoying students, standing his ground against anyone who tried to get in his face, and often dragging her to abandoned classrooms so they could make out rather than study.

Not that any of that was _too _bad- _ even if the kissing was sort of meaningless to her _\- but he wasn’t the same boy who had made her feel like she was doing something right. 

Now his touch was laced with something uncomfortable, numbing against her skin in a way that she didn’t like- but she didn’t want to prove Riddle right. Not when they hadn’t talked for longer than she liked, as Terry always told her that he thought the locket ruined her focus when she wanted to put it back on, to have Tom with her.

The other thing was that no one seemed to notice anything was wrong about Terry and she felt almost as if the boy was all she had anymore with how distant the others were being.

No one had said anything but Theo and he’d only claimed that Terry reminded him of his father, leaving it at that.

Lena was darkness and shadows and blood. The other Slytherins already had a bit of that sharpness and hidden ruthlessness, hence being resistant to her corrupting presence, but she’d seen the same thing happen still with Ginny and the rest of the house even if they kept the better parts of themselves safe from her corruption.

However, Terry had been exposed.

Without a shield or defense, the sunshine boy had been turned into a slimy shadow of his past self. Taken in by her possessive nature and left to foster an obsession of his own that reminded her of the diary… but worse, venom slicking his skin to make her numb to it.

She didn’t feel regretful.

There wasn’t much left of the boy she’d known to be regretful for.

“Terry.” Taking his wrist so he stilled in where he was trying to slip it up her shirt, she pushed him back slightly. “I think that we should break up.”

“Lena, I know that you’re stressed with the end of the year exams next week, but really- this is silly. Let me take away some of that-” 

She shook her head. “No, I think I’m fine without.”

When she stopped him again, sighing and about to try to talk it out, his face twisted into something dark. “No!” Her hand was shoved away, breath coming shortly as she was pushed up against the wall of the empty classroom harshly. “You can’t break up with me! Not with everything I’ve done for you! I think I’ve been patient in waiting for you to catch up, but now-” His hand moved to try to fumble with her jeans.

“_Stop._” The word, even without it being magic, had enough power in it to make the boy freeze. Ripping his hands off her and backing away, feeling her hands shake just slightly, she licked her lips and rubbed at her face. Taking out her wand, she pointed it at the boy. “You will remember this: you got tired of me and decided to break up, as I’m too taken with some boy named ‘Tom’ for your tastes. When you leave, you’ll decide to go around the school and tell this to everyone who’ll listen, as well as telling the truth about what you really think about the Slytherins. _ Mutatio Memoriae._”

Lowering her wand and releasing the boy’s frozen state, she watched as he turned to her with a slightly blank look. Then he sneered. “Why am I still here? You’re just some popular skank, along with the rest of your friends. I had thought that I could get Greengrass behind your back, but she threatened to curse me, the bitch.” Waving his hand at her, the boy sauntered out. “Whatever.”

Releasing a deep sigh, she reached up with still trembling hands and took off the necklace, staring at it. Eyebrows furrowing, she brought it closer, actually looked at the intricacies of the designs for the first time. They were geometric but formed a pattern she knew was advanced arithmancy.

Letting it drop from her hand, she felt a wave of cold wash over her like ice water.

_He'd used his knowledge of arithmancy in a sort of compulsion charm as he probably knew that she had protections again normal mind magic and amortentia. _

Feeling slightly sick, she knew she'd be giving Albus the half of the pendant that had broken off. Then she stamped the heel of her shoe down on the necklace over and over until the raw ache of betrayal and rage had lessened. And for good measure, she flicked her wrist at the golden necklace and watched it melt under the flame of the controlled feindfyre.

Then when she could breathe again without her hands shaking, she made her way back to the common room slowly.

Blaise looked up with a hint of a frown on his lips when she entered. “Where’s your boy toy?”

“I set him free to make a fool of himself.” Lena sat back in her armchair, pulling her legs up to cross under herself. “He was kind of a jerkwad, wasn’t he?”

The whole group shared looks of amusement. 

Theo nodded with a slight smile. “Yeah. He was- thanks for finally noticing. We were considering taking your crown for continuing to let in that slimebag alone, much less for being so oblivious about it.”

“No more relationships out of house then.” Her smile was faint and didn't reach her eyes. “I’ve learned my lesson.” 

Lena sighed deeply, tired from the relentless jabs about her poor taste in men the Slytherins were dishing out as some sort of petty revenge and moved to her room so she could take a break- But she froze, paralyzed with fear when there was only an empty space where the locket usually sat.

_ Riddle._

_How long... _

She couldn't even remember the last time she'd seen the locket.

Searching her room and then moving back to scour the Common Room, she dug through the couch cushions, around the bookcases... but the locket was nowhere to be found. Leaned against her armchair heavily, she honestly felt like she was going to cry. 

_ She’d lost her last chance, the last- _

“Lena.” And as if fate was punishing her, Terry’s voice spoke up. “Would you like to go-”

“I thought I made it clear that I wanted to have nothing to do with you anymore.” Her voice was chilled, her magic pooling around herself as she turned to glare poisonously at where the boy stood. “Now I am having a _very_ bad night and unless you can give me one good reason I should not break one of your legs for _ daring _ to show your face in my presence, I would recommend you _ leave_.”

Terry blinked. “And here I thought I would get a kiss at least, what with how easy it was to take over… What a waste.” The boy sighed softly in a way that had her pausing.

Stepping forward, she tugged the boy’s collar to the side and let out a shuddering breath when a gold locket was hanging around his neck. Giving a deep shuddering breath and letting her head fall forward to rest on the possessed boy’s shoulder, her voice was the barest of whispers. “Darling- my _idiot _darling… you scared the absolute _ life _out of me.”

A hand reached up to pet at her hair affectionately in a way Terry would never do, a chuckle vibrating through the broad chest and though it sounded different she could almost hear his voice in her mind. “I take that as a sign you missed me?”

“Merlin- get out of him you idiot- you’ll get _ fleas_.” Pulling back and then pausing, she then brushed a hand against the possessed boy’s cheek, smiling softly when he leaned into it with half-lidded eyes. “We’ll have our day in the stars eventually.”

“Not even a kiss? Just one?” Leaning in with the eyes bleeding into a sort of maroon, he paused just an inch away from her so she could feel the warm breath against her skin and then let his eyes flick between hers. “Strange… As much as I want nothing more than to steal your breath as my own for just a moment, I sort of hate the idea that I would be using this _parasite_ of a body to do it.” 

She tilted her head with an amused half-smile. “Hm. Your obsessiveness and possessiveness seem to be warring with each other.” Her lips stretched into a wider grin when he huffed slightly. “So? Who wins?” 

“The one that’s decided it will be much more satisfying to just curl up with you in our pile of blankets and happily await that day in the stars when I’ll be able to feel your hair in my _ own _hands.” Maroon eyes still fixed on her with their faces inches apart, he motioned a hand lazily to the locket. “Care to do the honors?”

Reaching up to slowly unclasp the locket, she reverently clasped it around her own as Terry blinked slightly, making sure the locket was hanging securely around her neck before she let her hand curl into a fist around it, kicking the boy in front of her in the stomach. Magic following through with the action, she watched lazily as he was sent tumbling back, the wind firmly knocked out of him. 

_ Darling? _

_ “I’m here, lovely.” _

She let her hands clench slightly, stalking slowly to stand in front of Terry.

_ Good. If you don’t mind, the pillows will have to wait just a moment. _

Riddle’s grin was audible._ “Oh, no, take your time.” _

“Terry Boot.” Her voice was glacial, sinking to her knee harshly and making the boy yelp as she did so right on his chest. “Tell me… did you enter my rooms without permission and take my locket?”

“N-no? Why would I want such a dumb thing?”

Reaching for his hand, she hummed softly as if a scolding parent and held it in hers gently. “Ah, but then why were you wearing it?” With a short movement, she snapped his ring finger so it was bent at a very painful looking angle, smiling grimly when he gave a short yell of pain. “You see… I am not usually a cruel person, nor don’t want anything more than to make you leave my sight and never return, but you touched something very _ very _important to me and I’m not feeling particularly _merciful_ today.”

Gasping in pain, the boy blinked up at her through tears in his eyes. “I- I stole it! But- but I didn’t expect…” The boy’s eyes darted to the locket with fear underlying his gaze. “It- it spoke to me! Told me that I would regret ever touching you!”

_ Oh? _

_ “He already is, isn’t he?” _Riddle sounded like he was pouting, being called out this way.

_ You’re adorable, darling. _

Lena smiled thinly down at the boy. “Ah, was he charming then- the memory of my dearest Tom?” And when the boy shook his head slightly she frowned and grabbed his middle finger in a blatant threat.

“No- ah- he was charming! R-really charming!”

Letting go, she stood slowly and looked at the boy with a piercing stare. “Of course he was. My darling Tom is nothing if not _charming_. Now unless you wish to find out exactly why my darling and I are so _very_ _much_ _alike_… I would suggest that you not speak of what happened here. _ Ever_.” Tucking her locket into her shirt gently, she raised her eyes to look across the room to a group of sixth years that were watching her in well-disguised fear. “Lucian, if you would help Mr. Boot fix himself up, I would very much appreciate it.”

Moving over quickly, the boy kneeled next to Terry and fixed his finger with a single spell.

“Is there something wrong here?” The heavy presence of Severus Snape moved silently from his door where she guessed he'd been lurking, looking at Terry with emotionless eyes. 

“She-she broke my finger and- and that locket- it’s cursed!” Terry pointed at her with a wave of his hand, the Common Room stilling as Severus slowly turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

Lena tilted her head slightly, staring blankly back at him as if daring to do something.

“Mr. Boot, it is offensive slander to blame this on Miss Farland when you have no physical evidence. Not to mention this is not your House and I am appalled you would sneak into my student’s private area.” The man didn’t look away from her, lip curling up slightly in a sneer. “Mr. Bole, if you would make sure Mr. Boot leaves…”

Lucian roughly dragged Terry to the door, slamming it shut behind the boy.

“Is this how you are planning to kill the Dark Lord? With childish spite and a temper that lasts only as long as something of yours is on the line?” Severus’s voice was cool. “And here I thought we agreed that you would live until you turned seventeen. If not for my sake, for the sake of everyone in this room.”

She let her lips quirk up slightly in a humorless smirk. “Funny, coming from the one who doomed me to an unfinished life from the moment he told the Dark Lord the prophecy that sent me to the orphanage.”

The Common Room was as quiet as a grave around them, unwilling to provoke either of their ire.

Severus watched her for a long moment more before his shoulders dropped and he sighed slightly as he reached up to rub at his face tiredly. “And how long do you plan to keep being angry with me about something I had no control over?”

“Who knows.” Shrugging slightly with a dark smile, she moved to set down more than a few chocolate bars on the table. "I have a very good memory after all."

No one spoke or got in her way as she stalked to her room, shutting the door firmly before going to lay down in her bed so she could curl up in Riddle’s arms.

Sinking into her mindscape that was reflective of the Slytherin Common Room, she moved to stand by where he was sitting in a leather armchair. “Hey.” 

“Hey there, beautiful.” Holding open his arms, Riddle smiled. “Come sit with me?”

Nodding slightly as she moved to sit across his lap sideways so she could lean into him, she sighed softly at the contact, the warmth clean and bright against her skin. “I missed you… Terry kept making excuses to not have me put you on, as I think he knew that you made me more resistant to his charm, not to mention he tricked me into wearing some sort of compulsion-laced necklace or something. It was strange- it seemed to make me more susceptible to his words and I'm going to have Albus look at it when I can.”

Voice soft, the normally so composed boy wrapped himself around her, forehead tilting forward to rest against hers. “I missed you."

Closing her eyes, she pulled him closer, as if they were both trying to absorb the other into their very being. “I’m sorry I was so combative about him in the beginning. I wasn’t thinking and you always know how to press my buttons to get me to act outside my normal logic.”

With a soft chuckle, the boy nosed at her cheek slightly, his amused mutter a warm breath against her skin. “It’s because you’re too fun to wind up.”

“Idiot.” 

“Brat.”

Burying her face further into his chest, she sighed. “Never again.”

Long fingers carded through her hair. “It’s alright. As long as you come back to me in one piece, then it’s alright, because at the end of the day as long as you’re safe and in my arms, I won’t be able to stay upset with you. Plus these trials we go through will just mean that when we decide to spend the rest of our natural lives living like this in each other's arms... that we'll know every side of each other and you'll be less likely to stab me.”

"I would never." But her voice was amused.

"Really? I could feel the fire in your chest when you looked at that scum laying on the ground before you. Didn't you want to stab him?"

Lena gave a muffled snort. "You're _nothing_ like him."

Pressing a kiss to the crown of her head, Tom hummed softly. "I hope not. Because if I was, then I would actively encourage you to leave me... and I have been waiting for the day that I will be able to hold you in my arms for so long that the thought of one boy ruining that for us makes me want to rip his throat out." His voice was soft, stroking back her hair gently though she knew that he was holding back real anger. "You are more precious to me than anything else, lovely. I would burn the world down before losing you to something I could prevent."

“You’re such a sap.” The mutter was teasing, though it lost its heat when it was muffled by where she was clinging to him in return, face buried in the collar of his robes.

She could tell he smiled at that. "Only for you, Lena. Only for you..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so Ryu, Amy, and I (AKA the smol beans and myself) were playing Bed, Wed, Behead with the characters of Farland Files...  
Thoughts?  
I would want to cuddle with Perenelle (because yes she probably gives the best hugs) or Theo, marry the frick out of Tom, and then behead Terry ^-^


	43. The Art of Saying Goodbye Without Actually Speaking the Words 'Goodbye'

“This…” Dumbledore looked up from where he was holding half of the gold engraved pendant with what looked like tongs under a magnifying glass because he was the oldest man to ever be old. “Lena, my dear girl, this is an extremely complicated arithmancy design. To tell exactly what it does I would have to have Babbling and Vector study it, but to my eyes… it looks almost like what a modified love potion would do.”

Curled up in the chair by the window, she nodded slightly, voice sort. “I guessed as much.”

Looking at her over his half-moon spectacles seriously, the old man studied her. “I would urge you to tell me who did this, as if we get this design verified by a Master, we can press charges.”

Nails digging into the chair, as she didn’t want to deal with that- half of her wanting to tear out his heart so she could feel his blood slicking her fingers and the other half sick at that thought, as she’d been the one to corrupt him this way…

Setting down the pendant and leaning back in his chair, Dumbledore spoke up softly. “What’s bothering you, my dear?”

“Does something have to be bothering me?”

He chuckled, reaching for a lemon drop. “You came to show me that pendant without wanting to tell me which of my students had done such a thing, hiding in the office of an old man instead of being outside with your friends on a nice sunny day when you know you will not be able to see them for a year and a half… something is wrong Lena.”

“No one noticed. No one did anything or said anything or-” Her voice drifted off, jaw clenching for a long moment. “Why?”

Standing from his desk chair and moving to sit across from her slowly, the man met her eyes, holding them as he spoke gently. “Severus came to talk to me a few weeks ago about how Mr. Zabini wanted to report a Mr. Terry Boot for rude and unwanted advances towards Miss Greengrass and Miss Weasley. However because the Hogwarts code of conduct has not been updated for quite some time without the approval of the school board, I was unable to do anything but talk sternly to Mr. Boot.” 

Lena blinked slowly, before sighing softly and pulling her knees to her chest. “So Blaise, Theo, and Draco pulled all of Slytherin away from the situation to stay off Terry’s attention.” Her eyes drifted to where a familiar group of heads were walking across the lawn talking, probably wondering where she was. “And I know I snapped at them under the pendant’s control the few times they tried to reach out, so they probably thought that it was safer for the house to keep away from him and I both, thinking I could deal with the situation.”

“Did you? Deal with it?”

She furrowed her eyebrows, not sure how to answer that. 

_ Had she dealt with it if she was still wrapped in guilt and anger over the whole thing? _

_ “Getting through this type of betrayal takes time, love. You don’t have to instantly feel as if you're over it and no one expects you to.” _Riddle’s voice was a balm to her soul.

She pursed her lips together to keep them from wobbling traitorously. _ It’s in moments like these when you know exactly what to say that I remember why I would be unable to live without you. _

_ “Even if I disagree with that, I’m glad that we will never have to find out.” _

Albus sent her a small fond smile when she looked back up at him, long used to her spacing out for short periods. “Let me ask this… would it have helped if they knew? If they got overly worried and tried to pull you away from him or wanted to coddle you now that it’s over?”

“No.” Her voice was soft. “No, I think… I think I like the ability to sort out exactly what I feel without anyone hovering over me.”

“I guessed as much.” Standing slowly and then moving to put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. “But I want you to know that I will never see you differently for not being alright.”

Her jaw tensed. “I am. I’m-” But there was a burning feeling in the tip of her nose, a lump in her throat and she felt tears rising to the surface. “I’m fine.”

Dumbledore just nodded as he sat down at his desk again, not looking at her as he moved to flip through more papers. “But you don’t have to be. Not here and not with me, dear girl. Crying will never make you weak in my eyes.”

Ducking her head, she wiped her cheek and turned further away from the man so she could look out the window. 

_ I don’t deserve this. _

_ “Decent human kindness? My love, you deserve so much more.” _

“I’ll keep an eye on Mr. Boot while you’re away and take this pendant to the Ministry, even if I don’t tell them who was affected.”

The relief was almost visceral, letting a soft sob out as she wrapped her arms around herself tighter. “Th- thanks.” And as the sun strolled across the sky, with every tear she shed, she felt a little better, Riddle whispering soft words of comfort in her head.

As Lena was still a fifth year (and the Queen), she decided against drinking at the end-of-the-year party, unlike her whole court, smiling and rolling her eyes as she watched Daphne wrestle to get Theo to sit still and not go join where Blaise and Draco had started the Slytherins in a limbo contest. “Ridiculous.” 

“You can’t blame them. It’s the first time any of us have heard about your plan to kill the Dark Lord because apparently, you’re the Chosen One after all.”

This got a few glances her way, the other Slytherins increasingly bad at being subtle about their listening in the drunker they got, and Theo nodded vigorously. “Yeah! You never told us that you’re planning on getting yourself _killed! _”

She winced slightly, moving to fold her legs up under her as she sought out the right way to put her situation. “Dumbledore and I have talked over many things, including the prophecy. It says that ‘either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives.’ One of us has to die.” When the Common Room stilled and moved to better see her, she lowered her eyes slightly so she didn’t have to see their faces when she kept talking of such news. “Since the Dark Lord has risen again and is gaining power, Albus has asked me not to come back to Hogwarts next year, so I will be leaving after the Feast to the first of many safe houses across the world- where for the next year and a half I will be training to kill Voldemort.”

“You’re leaving?” Ginny’s voice was soft, a frown on her lips.

“I am, though I will be back for seventh year. I do have a prophecy to complete, after all.” Her smile was small, more of a grimace than anything as she looked up to look at all her snakes. “But I am more than sure that during this one of my court will step up to become the next crowned King or Queen.”

Theo’s snort was soft, letting his head fall back. “You’re choosing to omit that you don’t plan to survive past seventh year.”

Lena’s jaw clenched slightly. “Theo....”

“No- I see that look in your eyes!” Standing up and waving his hands, Daphne not even bothering to stop him, the boy flushed with anger as his voice raised to a yell. “You’re not planning to fight, you’re planning to sacrifice yourself in the hopes it’ll keep Vol- _ Him _from hurting any of the people that are close to you! You think that your life is worth less than ours still and you still refuse to believe that we wouldn’t _want _to fight for you! And even if you do die- what then? What if he turns on us _ anyway_?!”

She sighed tiredly. “Theodore- sit down.” When he crossed his arms defiantly, she tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling, something of a soft laugh rising from the bitterness in her chest. “And here I thought that it would be Albus or Severus that noticed, not you and Perenelle.”

_ “Wait- you plan on WHAT?” _

_ Not now, dear. _

“Lena… you can’t honestly think-” Ginny’s voice cracked slightly. “What- what about Tom?”

_ “Yes, what about me? What about what I want?” _

Her chuckle was soft. “My Tom is nothing but a memory anymore… I’m afraid I lost him a long time ago.” Lips tilting up fondly, she shook her head. “And though I know he’d be able to squish what is left of the Dark Lord in an instant, I fear that I don’t think he’s ever going to find his way back to me like he once promised.”

_ Because the man I loved will die with you and I will take him with me in my memories to the grave. _

_ “Lena, no, that’s ridiculous. We need you to be alive- happy and beautiful.” _

Closing her eyes, she felt a slow tear creep from the corner of her eye, running down her cheek slowly. “But that’s okay. I’ll get to see him and Jack again- and that’s all I really could ever ask for.”

There was a noise of frustration, Theo obviously fed up with her weakness, but a saddened voice stopped him. “No, Theo, it’s not our place to try to force Lena to fight a war she doesn’t want to.” Blaise took a long breath, obviously shaken but trying to be calm at the moment. “What we can do, however, is keep the House of Slytherin strong within these times of uncertainty and hope that when our Queen comes back to us she’ll find it in herself to stand against the man that tainted the pride of her birthright.”

It was a dirty trick, but Blaise never played fair when it came to what he wanted, so she could only look at him with wet eyes and a small fond smile. “I have a year and a half to change my mind then.”

_ “And I have that much time to change your mind as well.” _

_ I refuse to hurt any part of you, my dear, even if he is insane… but good luck with that. _

Then she stood up and held open her arms. “Though I promise that even as I am away from my House, I will never truly be gone, as I am to have chocolate delivered each week and a linked journal made to reply to the nightmares written down.”

“You’ll always be our Queen, even if Blaise takes the crown like we both know he will.” Ginny was then hugging her tightly, Blaise joining them with a small huff. And then she was giving out hugs, trading partings with everyone in her house, and something in her knew that she’d already started the process of leaving.

They were all just getting ready for the moment when she was fully gone.

“Are you sure about this?” Lena looked up at Severus, frowning slightly. 

He looked down at her with amused eyes. “They invited us for the summer since you are going to be traveling, as they want to try to get to know you.”

She looked at the gates that were standing before the hill where Potter Manor rested, sighing and pressing her hand to the cold metal. Hearing a click, she made sure her backpack was on right and picked up her trunk. “I still think this is a bad idea, but whatever. Let’s go meet the Potters. Again.”

“My Lord.” Narcissa stood at the edge of the doorway to his office with her lips pursed.

Tom found that even though both Malfoys had access to his office Lucius usually sent Narcissa his way whenever he thought Tom wouldn’t like the news, as he could actually tolerate the Malfoy Matriarch’s presence. “Narcissa. What disagreeable news do you carry from your husband this time?”

“This is a direct message from my son as he asked both his father and me too, and I quote, ‘tell the Dark Lord that Lena Farland is gone and that the House of Slytherin is going to kill him before she can even think to lay down before his wand.’” The woman pursed her lips tightly. “Draco swears that he and his friends will find a way to kill you before their seventh year.”

He didn’t much care about the threat, unable to hear anything past- “Lena, she’s gone? What do you mean?”

Narcissa blinked slightly, not expecting that response, but didn’t question him. “Miss Farland went to travel the world and isn’t coming back until she turns seventeen.”

_This- this wasn’t the plan!_

World tilting slightly, he stood from his chair and started to stride out of the large manor, apparating as soon as he got out of the wards. Standing before the small shop front he knew the Flamels resided in, he pushed open the door and leveled his wand on where Nicolas Flamel was sitting at his workbench carving an intricate wooden snake. “Where is she? Lena. Is she here?”

“Ah, Tom, Albus told his plan and we thought you might show up sooner or later.” Perenelle smiled at him when he whirled around, the woman leaning against the back door to the small shop front. “Would you like to sit down? I made some tea...”

“Lena.” He was losing his grip on what was going on, not expecting to be expected and the one thought that kept his wand steady was his little Queen. “Where is she?”

With an echoing chuckle, Nicolas stood up and stretched. “Not here, I’m afraid. Albus told us that she was to be moved constantly and he was to be the only person that would know where she was going, as he is afraid you will try to hurt her.” When his wand fell to his side at that, the man clapped a hand against his shoulder gently. “Come, sit with us, and have some tea.”

Letting himself be shepherded into the small kitchen, sitting down heavily with a cup of tea placed before him so effectively he wondered how Lena had not immediately taken these two as her honorary grandparents, taking a slow sip of tea as he tried to un-tilt his worldview.

_ Lena wasn’t within his sight and he had no way to know where she was except Dumbledore, though the old man was less likely to tell him than Severus himself. _

“Do you plan on hurting Lena if you do find her?”

“Never.” The word slipped out before he could even think, eyes falling to the tea before he sent a dark glare to the two smiling immortals. “You two spiked my tea with veritaserum, didn’t you?”

Perenelle nodded, waving her hand with a disarming smile. “Well we want to protect Lena, as I’m sure you understand, and I wanted some actual answers after having to watch my favorite pupil be miserable over the thought of possibly having to kill you for _ages_. So... Am I correct in thinking that the locket and ring she always wore were your Horcruxes?”

“Yes.” He scowled at the woman when he spoke instinctively, hating that even with occlumency he trusted these two enough for the veritaserum to override any control he had. 

Nicolas raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his seat. “And do you know why she isn’t affected by the dark magic in those objects- why she doesn’t get possessed?”

“She’s my soulmate. Our wands tell as much.” He furrowed his eyebrows when the two looked at each other, sharing amused smiles. With a low snarl, hand tightening around his mug, he glared at them. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“She’s more than that. I’m guessing that night you tried to kill her in your madness part of your soul was fractured off and merged with her own.” Perenelle’s eyes were soft in the way they were whenever she’d talk to Lena of love, leaning forward to let her hand rest over his. “She grew up with a majority of her growing soul already dominated by yours and I think only recently did she start to find ways to be a person more than just a copy of yourself... your soul and hers, they’re intertwined and not even death could separate them.”

Tom gaped at the woman unceremoniously.

Laughing softly, the woman’s eyes gleaming with something so incredibly fond, she leaned back into her husband. “I cannot wait to see what you two will become, as I believe it will be even greater a story than Nicolas and I.” Then taking her hand from his, she waved her hand to switch his mug of laced tea with a mug of hot chocolate with smiling eyes. “Now, what have you been up to?

Still slightly shaken, he cast a few charms over this mug to check for any potions before taking a steadying sip. “Recently I have been working on starting up a foundation for magical children that are in abusive homes. I plan to use the land that still belongs to the Gaunts to pass for a Magical Orphanage to be built as a sort of way house for any who need it, but it’ll take a bit of time to build, so it’s mostly paperwork right now.”

“And I hear that Malfoy- who is one of yours- is going to be running for Minister?”

He smirked slightly over the rim of the mug, trusting the two immortals to take his secrets kindly as long as he stayed on Lena’s good side (which doing otherwise wasn’t even a thought he would entertain). “Yes, well someone has to pass the bills so I can build my orphanage, isn’t that right?”

Nicolas guffawed loudly as Perenelle smiled and he knew that he was alright in their books for now.

_ Now just to find the wayward Queen of his soul... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the end of the fifth year as we know it~  
Wow. Okay. It's been a long year.  
I mean we got Marvolo, Umbridge, Terry, family drama, Dumbledore being my favorite old man (still)... It's a lot.  
~  
Tom: I would literally burn someone alive if they hurt my Lena  
Perenelle, now hiding a grin behind her teacup: So Tom, did Lena tell you about that boy she was dating named Terry Boot?  
Tom: *stops mid-word, eyes clearly narrowed*  
Tom: No...  
Nicolas: *puts his face in his hand*


	44. The Art of Being Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *clears throat*  
Yes.

There was a soft knock on the doorframe of the guest room she was staying in, Lily Potter smiling at her hesitantly. “Um- Lena? Severus is brewing and, well, Garrick Ollivander said he was here to see you so I thought it would be okay if I came to let you know?”

“Oh, right, thank you- I sort of forgot that Dumbledore was sending the crazy man my way.” Pulling herself up from where she’d been sketching in her favorite journal, she moved to pull a tank top over the sports bra she had been lazing around it, not having much of the motivation to leave the room she’d been given. 

“What- um- what were you drawing?” The woman shifted her weight slightly, smiling softly. “I used to like drawing too when I was younger and even made a few paintings that I’m sure are hanging somewhere around the house but, uh, I sort of lost my inspiration with the war and- and when James died.”

Lena reluctantly held out where she had been penning out the lines for a drawing of Riddle laying back with his hands folded behind his head with his eyes closed, surrounded by a field of soft dewy grass. “It’s a work in progress, but-”

“I love it. It’s beautiful… This is that boy from your memories, right? Tom?” Lily looked at her with a more genuine smile. “What’s he like? Did you know him at the orphanage?”

Hugging the sketchbook to her chest, she genuinely smiled at the woman for the first time since meeting her. “Not at the orphanage, but I have known him since what seems like forever… He’s a sweetheart but we tend to bicker a lot, though we would never actually think of being mean or hurting the other person.”

Lily giggled softly, eyes softening in a way that was faintly reminiscent as they started down the hallway. “James and I were a lot like that and a lot of our friends thought we hated each other for a long while because we bantered back and forth so much.”

_ “I’m honored. Your biological mother seems to approve of me.” _

_ If you’re that proud of her approval then I’ll leave killing her husband out of it, for your reputation's sake. _

_ “Love you too.” _

Lena looked curiously at the woman, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at Riddle’s words. “You two were in the same grade, right?” 

“Yup! Both Gryffindors too, much to Severus’ annoyance.” Both of them chuckling softly, Lily gave her a curious smile. “Is Tom about your age? I mean, the papers said that he didn’t go to Hogwarts but…”

Lena looked away with a bit of hesitance, not sure how to answer that. “He’s older than me and… I don’t think I’ll ever see him again, but- but I hold onto whatever parts of him as I can.” She glanced up to the woman, pulling out the locket and tapping it gently. “This was his last gift to me, as he found it because he remembered me mentioning I was in Slytherin… It was the last time I saw him.”

Reaching out slowly to rest a warm hand on her shoulder, the woman gave her a small sad smile of empathy. “If he and you are anything like James and I were… he’ll come back to you, don’t worry.”

Not about to mention that seeing him again would equal her death and she dreaded that day with every fiber of her being, she just smiled appreciatively. “Thanks, Miss Potter.”

“Lily. Please.” Drawing back slightly as they got to the main sitting room of the enormous manor, the woman then gestured to Ollivander and looked at them both. “Anything you two need?”

“No, thank you. I’m just here to make sure Lena has everything she needs and her wand is in peak condition for her coming adventures.” The wizened wandmaker stood from the chair he was sitting in, moving over slowly.

Nodding, the woman lingered for a second longer before nodding as she realized the two of them wanted a bit of space, mentioning something about Charlie lightly before moving from the room.

“Albus sent you to look over my wand?” She arched an eyebrow.

Ollivander snorted softly. “No, Albus sent me to deliver a warded wand holster that will make both of the wands you carry unable to be taken from you as well as untraceable when not being used, as there are a few rarer rituals to trace twin wands that Albus was worried about. As well as that, he sent you a letter with a portkey included and instructions.” The old man with the crazy white hair pulled out a small package with a letter tucked under the brown wrapping string. “Though I run the risk of getting a visit from the one you are running from, you will be out of the country when I am made to tell him what I know.”

Lena looked at him with a small frown. “Are you worried?”

“Why would I be when his wand cannot cast against me?” The man smiled conspiratorially and then ambled to the floo. “Have a wonderful trip, my dear girl.”

She swore the man had to be a Slytherin, grinning when she realized that being protected from her wand was the same as being protected from his, as they were essentially the same wand. 

_ What was it with crazy old men and being so cool? _

"I see Ollivander stopped by." Severus's shadow lingered by her as she sat on her balcony so she could watch the sunset. "You got your instructions on where you're going?"

"Why? Want to tell Voldemort?" 

The man sighed softly. "I wanted to tell you that when he comes back and finds out who I helped keep him from all this time… I might not be able to see you turn 17." Then stepping forward, he set down a package to the side of her gently. "So I thought I would give this to you early."

Lena stayed silent until his footsteps faded, the door to her room shutting with a soft click, before reaching out with shaking fingers. Carefully slipping her fingers under the tape and unfolding the muggle wrapping paper that had become a tradition when gifting each other small ridiculous things, she set it aside so she could open the flat box.

Fingers brushing against a leather cover, she picked up what looked like a journal, opening it up to see pictures.

Photographs of her and Charlie as babies, of her and Cedric dancing at Yule, of her laughing with her court, or her facing down a dragon. Snapshots from memories that were obviously from a whole range of people.

But at the back was a picture. 

A real one, tucked in the pages carefully.

A picture of an old man with cropped grey hair with his hands resting on the shoulders of a small girl with green eyes.

_ "Is that…" _

_ That's Jack. _

Riddle hummed softly.

_ I thought… I thought matron had burned this. _

Setting the album on her bedside table next to the wand holster holding both her wands, she found herself at Severus's door, knocking quietly.

He opened the door, almost looking surprised to see her. "Lena?"

"You're an idiot." Then moving forward to bury herself in his arms, she felt a tear be absorbed by the fabric of his robes. "But- but I'm going to miss you."

"I thought you hated me." His tone wasn't accusing, more just distantly curious.

Her snort was wet and followed by a half-choked out sob that had her hugging him tighter as he smoothed out her hair gently. "I don't hate you." Her laugh was broken, words muffled by the fabric. "You're my dad."

Feeling the exhale he gave as if the breath had been punched out of him, Severus pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "Yeah." His voice was just about as shaken as hers. "And you're the best kid I could have asked for, you know that? I will never stop being proud of you, no matter what you do."

The sunset bathed them in the fiery tones of rebirth as they forgot how to do anything but hold each other close and mourn how far they'd come only for her to leave.

But it would be alright.

She could say that to herself, hoping, wishing as they both were.

_ They would be alright. _

Lena found herself bonding with the Potters fairly well. Especially since Charlie had over Draco and she’d gotten to hug her friend tightly, swearing him to secrecy while also handing him a bunch of letters to give out to her other snakes. And because Draco was there she’d been dragged into playing board games which was… interesting.

Severus had sat to the side with a pina colada and just snorted whenever someone was doing something stupid- which was a lot- but Draco was currently winning ‘Sorry’ and seemed to be saying those words twice as much whenever he did something well until she just tapped his bracelet that was reading ‘no one will be upset at you for being good at something'.

Remus had creamed everyone in Monopoly and then she had proceeded to pick all the others off one by one when they started into hearts, coming out of multiple rounds with no points and a wide grin.

Then she had twisted Remus’s arm (metaphorically) to go get art supplies so she could sit with Lily on the back porch and paint, smiling sheepishly when the woman teased her about the small figure of a boy leaning against one of the trees in her landscape.

It was good, but now… well, she didn’t want to go.

“Are you sure you want to stay here?” Reaching out to take Severus’ hand, she furrowed her eyebrows slightly. “I don’t like the idea of the Dark Lord getting close to you.”

“I’ll be alright Lena.” His smile was stiff though, eyes taking in her face as if he wouldn’t see her again before he pulled her into a hug. “Just worry about yourself. No being reckless, listen to whoever’s in charge, and letter me whenever you can- alright?”

Smiling up at him, she nodded. “Of course. I’ll come back in one piece and I expect you to do the same.”

With another hug, they stepped away from each other and both smiled slightly. 

There were no goodbyes. 

Not when they were both determined to see each other again.

Lena turned to where Lily, Sirius, and Remus were standing with Charlie, who was holding a lumpy wrapped package. “What’s this? A gift to send me off on my adventure?”

Charlie smiled sort of wryly, shoving it at her so he could pull her into his arms, his taller and broader frame holding her tightly. “You’re always going to be my sister Lena and this- well it’s a tradition for this to be passed to the youngest of the Potter family so… I wanted you to have it.”

Slowly unwrapping the package, she let one of her eyebrows quirk up at the ugly cloak in her hands.

“Try it on. I promise, you won’t want to let it go when you see what it does.”

“I feel as if I should be scared.” Lips curling up with Severus snorted, she let the coak unravel and then pulled it over her shoulders, staring blankly at where her body seemed to have just... disappeared. “...oh. _ Fascinating_.”

Remus chuckled when she pulled it off, looking at the fabric with a frown, studying it intently. “Keep it safe and you’ll have plenty of time to use it.”

Then Lily and the others were pulling her into hugs, the cloak getting folded into her bag gently and she smiled at them before pressing the side of the pocket watch she’d been given, feeling the portkey activate instead of opening.

  
  


Barty found him in his office as he threw curses at a mannequin head made look like one of the Lords that was being a stubborn pig about his Orphanage, the man clearing his throat without fear. “You know how Dumbledore met with Ollivander and we thought it was nothing? Well, Ollivander was apparently visiting the Potters, which we also thought was nothing, but then Remus Lupin was seen getting art supplies with-”

“Barty, the _ point_?” He snarled, cutting the mannequin head in half with a severing curse. 

“Severus Snape. He’s staying with the Potters.”

Spinning on his heel- _ because wherever Severus went, Lena usually was- _ he grabbed his cloak and stalked past the man. “Couldn’t you have _started_ with that?!” Moving to the floo, he opened a fire call, hoping someone reasonable would answer and that it _wasn't _Severus.

When the channel opened, he pushed his face through to blink up at the woman he knew was Lily Potter. “Good morning, Miss Potter.”

“Lord Gaunt? Is there something you need from Sirius or-

“Actually, I was hoping to talk to you. May I step through?” When the woman nodded, he pulled back and stepped through the floo, brushing himself off and studying the house around him when he was out. Hoping that he could rely on Lena to love talking about him as much as he knew he loved to tell anyone who would listen about how brilliant his angel was, he smiled a bit sheepishly as he looked down. “Please, call me Thomas. I- well- I came to ask if you’d seen Lena.”

Hearing a glass shatter from across the room, he looked up to see Severus looking at him in equal parts understanding, horror, and panic. “You-... _ You’re _ Tom?”

Lily moved to sit down heavily in one of the chairs and he took the moment to send a sharp glare the other man’s way, then moving to sit across from the woman gingerly with a small concerned frown. “Miss Potter?”

“You-you're what, twenty-three? Lena’s only just turned sixteen! That- How-...”

He grimaced slightly, knowing that- _ yes the subject of their ages probably wasn’t going to be the most accepted by most people_\- but that he didn’t care as long as Lena didn’t, spinning the thread of a story she’d accept in his impatience. “I met Lena when I was a teenager and she was stealing from a convenience store to eat. I saw she was going to get caught and tried to help her. We’ve only ever been friends and I swear I hold no type of nefarious intentions towards her, I just- I hoped that I could see her again before she went off on her next adventure so I could make sure she was alright.”

He could see Lily Potter melt just slightly and the woman smiled at him gently. “I-... Thank you for helping her. I know it must have been hard for her and-”

“She’s not here. She left yesterday to a place that none of us know, as Albus wanted to send her to see some friends of his.” Severus’s eyes were dark as they stared him down. “Now, shall we perhaps talk about your relationship with my daughter_ elsewhere_?”

As if unaffected, he stood with a small shrug. “We could step back into my place?”

Severus just nodded sharply, murmuring something to Lilly before pointing at the fire. “You first.” 

Stepping through, he turned and blocked the curse the man sent his way as soon as he came through, rolling his eyes. “Sit down Severus.”

“You’re older than I am! How dare you trick Lena like that! You’re nothing like the man I chose to-”

Flicking his wand to lash the man to a chair, gagging him so he didn’t have to listen to the yelling, he sighed deeply and leaned against his desk. “Now… let me make this clear. I did not ‘trick’ or lie to Lena for a second. I might have failed to mention that the so-called ‘consciousness shards’ of mine she carries around are part of my soul and every single one she so sweetly decides to care for before letting go become part of me, but I'm sure when she sees _her darling Tom, _that everything will be alright. She_ does know _that the Horcruxes are past versions of the ‘Dark Lord’ and honestly from what I’ve seen, she doesn’t seem to care all that much.” He then twirled his wand in his fingers with a side smirk. “After all… we are soulmates, just as Nicolas and Perenelle are.”

The man’s eyes fell on his wand, widening slightly as the tenseness drained from his lanky form.

Tom released the gag after a moment, raising an eyebrow.

“Swear to me. Swear to me that you won’t touch her without making completely sure she is a hundred percent okay with it or I’ll try to kill you because we both know that’ll make my mark kill me and then she won’t _ever _come back to you.” The man’s grin was vicious as if almost wanting that outcome.

He raised his hand calmly with just a slight sigh. “I, Thomas Marvolo Gaunt-Slytherin, swear to not touch Lena Farland with the intent to take advantage of her against her will.” 

_ Only the Diary had ever even had the thought of keeping his Queen for his own against her will, but that had long been burned away by the simple desire to hold her in his arms willingly and give her everything she ever deserved in life, to see her grasp hold of every single strength and weakness she had and use them to her advantage. _

Tom smiled simply at the man when he lowered his hand, the binds releasing Severus though the man didn’t move. “That is not why I want to find her, nor is it to harm her as you seem to think. It’s because every minute she isn’t near me, I have this aching hole in my chest that her closeness soothes.” Then his face twisted just slightly as he steeped to loom over the man. “So imagine how I feel now that she is somewhere _halfway across the_ _world_.”

_ To put it simply, he was cold and painfully alone without her. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you to know that I love all of you so much for how far we've come!  
Keep your eyes open for the alternate POVs to this story! It's called 'The Courts Cases'  
~  
Lily: You're seven years apart and she's not even seventeen yet!  
Tom: Oh honey... you sweet small summer child...  
~  
I can't get over the fact that when Severus realizes that Tom is Thomas Gaunt who is also the Dark Lord he legit drops a glass of wine like a horrified suburban mom (I forgot I wrote that lol ^-^)  
~  
Severus: You lied to Lena, didn't you?  
Tom, internally: And I said "No". You know, like a liar.


	45. The Himalayan Mountian Range, Nepal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a thing now.  
I made it a thing.  
Fight me. (ง'-')ง  
(kidding, I'm a small bean and I am v scared of people)

Lena shivered slightly, looking around herself and pulling her cloak (her normal one with the woven runes) tighter around her body so she wasn’t being as battered by the harsh winds, trying to squint against the white blizzard she seemed to have been set in the middle of.

Seeing a large set of doors carved into the side of a mountain in front of her, she clenched her jaw so that her teeth wouldn’t start chattering and started to trudge towards them.

“I would recommend you turn back.”

Head looking up, she saw a man that almost reminded her of Perenelle, his dark eyes studying her. He was covered in heavy furs and had a massive battle-axe strapped to his back, but he also seemed fairly unaffected by the blizzard raging around them, looking at her as if she was dirt on his shoe.

Looking at him with narrowed eyes from the folds of her cloak, she raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because you are far too young and inexperienced to pass the first task. The Temple of Elements has only accepted masters and scholars of magic since it was built.” His voice was not judging, as if reading a liability warning rather than meaning his words. As if it was a fact. “Turn back. Go live your life and grow into your magic.”

“What’s your name?” Her voice was toneless.

The man frowned slightly. “See? You do not even know the basics. There are no names here, child, only titles. Once entering the Temple you are not allowed to communicate until you pass the second and third tasks.” But seeing she was listening, he seemed to relent. “I am the Windkeeper. I travel with those that chose to try the first task, making sure they do not die.”

_ Reassuring. _

_ “Indeed… Are you sure you want to-” _

“That object,” the Windkeeper drew his axe, “is not allowed. Remove it and it will be destroyed.”

Blinking and wrapping a hand around the locket, she frowned at the man. “This is mine and you are not going to take it from me unless you kill me first... Why can’t I have it with me?”

The man paused slightly. “You _ want _to have it latch onto you?”

Lena nodded slowly. “It is from someone I- I… love.” It was hard to admit, voice breaking slightly, but she only pressed on. “If it’s about the communication, I can shut him out of my mind so we can’t talk to each other, but I won’t remove the locket. I won't- I _ can’t _be without him.”

“There is no verbal communication allowed inside the Temple.” But the man said nothing else.

Nodding, she brushed a finger against the warm metal and then gently shut down her mental barriers, the man putting his axe away as soon as she did. Eyeing him, she wrapped her cloak around herself and started again to trudge to the gates. 

The man followed, seeming unbothered by the wind and snow while she was pushed around, barely able to take a step at a time.

There was only silence, grating on her nerves as she continued to trudge through the blizzard, but she didn’t speak or look over to where the Windkeeper was walking. She once tried to cast a warming spell over herself, but the magic just seemed to slide off- which she suspected was another dumb rule these people had.

“Why are you so determined? You are a child- you don’t have to prove yourself this way.”

“I have nowhere else to go. The portkey was one-way.” Lena clenched her jaw in irritation when she could feel his stare on her as if she was insane. “This is where I was told to go, so I will do such.”

The wind seemed to lessen slightly at that, even if it was still making her face numb and her fingers feel frozen. 

“I will die before giving up.” Her hands clenched tighter and she kept moving through the tall snowbanks, feet sinking into the snow as she did. She was dressed for some cold weather, but the frozen landscape had long sunk into her clothes, her whole frame shaking.

The Windkeeper snorted softly. “I will not let you die, but you may get close.”

Choosing not to respond, she just kept moving, sure if she stopped that she would freeze in place. They seemed to be closer, though that could also have been her eyes playing tricks on her and when she stepped wrong and fell to the snow with her hands catching herself, she could have screamed in frustration.

A hand reached down to try to grab her arm, but she just swatted it away. “You don’t get to help me when you’ve been doubting me since we first met!”

“You will not accept help?”

“Not when that help verges on _ pity_.” Pushing herself back up, she didn’t even bother to try to hold her cloak around herself, uncaring if the wind bit at her skin as long as she kept moving.

And with every step she took, the wind seemed to lessen slightly.

Getting to a set of stone steps she almost slipped again, holding in an irritated growl.

_ Bloody ice. _

“Child. Sit down. You-”

“No!” She glared back at the man. “I will not give up! I am not going to bend to the wills of someone that is against me just because of my age!”

The man smiled and held up a hand as if to pacify her. “You have completed the task of Air. Listen to me now, because you will not be able to speak and none will try to teach you the communication of the Temple until after your next task. I am to give you a title, as you are now part of the Scholars of the Temple and that will be what you will go by until you leave. Then the Guardian will take you to your rooms. You will sleep until you are rested, and when you wake, the second task will begin.”

Nodding, she pulled her cloak around herself again, hair that had been braided back now loose and plastered to her face. “I understand.”

“Then, I give you the title of the Emerald Child.”

Snorting softly under her breath, she stood when he bowed and bowed back stiffly, watching him start back down the mountain.

The doors behind her opened, a woman with long black robes looking at her for a moment before stepping to the side.

Dipping her head as she thought would be appropriate, she stepped in and relaxed slightly at the warmth that instantly wrapped itself around her. Opening her mouth to thank the woman, she saw the pointed look the woman gave her and just smiled slightly, dipping her head again.

Waving at her, the woman shut the door and then started down the vaulted stone hall. Following her, Lena saw that soon the hall opened into a wide space of people in different colored robes- some reading, some meditating, some making hand gestures at each other- though her presence attracted a lot of eyes.

And she understood why at seeing the type of people in the Temple.

There was no one even remotely close to her age anywhere in sight. Many were older men and women, though there were a few middle-aged looking people interspersed through the crowd.

Pulling back the hood of her cloak so she could once again collect her wild hair and put it up in a bun with the felt stretchy band Lily had given her, she kept scanning the crowd for any type of threat, following the Guardian.

Eventually, the woman stopped before another woman with bright red hair that was at a large desk by the back of the room and made a series of those hand gestures she’d been seeing.

Nodding after studying her, the red-haired woman stood to open a closet along the wall, pulling out multiple long lengths of white fabric while a tape measure came to float by Lena.

Nose twitching, she flicked her cloak over her shoulders and held up her arms lazily, letting the tape measure do as it wanted. 

Watching the measure and a pen seem to converse in writing down her measurements on a piece of parchment, the redhead woman looked at the parchment before a pair of scissors moved to cut the fabric while a needle and thread sewed the pieces together.

Within the span of a few minutes, the woman was handing the Guardian the folded clothing, and with a wave at her, they were walking off again.

Finally, she found herself in a sparse room with a single candle and a mattress on the floor, the white clothes being set down on the mattress.

The Guardian then moved to take her bag from her, giving her a look when she frowned. With a wave of her hand, glowing letters appeared in the air. _ “All material possessions will be kept safe until you choose to leave or you earn them back. You are allowed the clothes. Even the wands must be stored away.” _

Lena slowly drew out the locket, tapping it with a deep frown and shaking her head.

The glowing writing shifted into new words. _ “Nothing will be harmed or stolen, of that, you have the word of the Librarian.” _

Getting the vague sense that the Librarian was someone of significance to these people, she started to strip off her wet outer clothes and then with a small frown, took off the locket, holding it out to the woman. When her bag was held back out to her, she tucked the locket away in the very bottom along with her wands.

_ “Rest. The Second Trial will start when you are ready.” _

Then she was left alone. 

With a candle and loose white robes.

Rubbing at her face, she put on the under-linens and then the white fabric that was more comfortable than she’d expected, laying down.

Lena had never really been able to sleep well without Riddle as she was so used to his presence and warmth by now that she only got a few hours of sleep before she gave up, just sitting up to meditate and organize her mindscape because she had nothing else to do.

However, the creek of the wooden door to her room let in a stream of light, the Guardian standing in the doorway with curious eyes. Again the floating words of magic traced themselves into the air. _ “Would you wish to see the Temple, be given the few books that you are allowed as an Air mage, or try the Second Task?” _

Standing slowly, she pointed to the words of the last option, eyes steady on the woman.

_ The sooner she showed she could do what they wanted, the sooner she would get her locket back and be able to sleep. _

Studying her, the woman nodded slowly and then started out the door, moving down the hall. Walking through the halls, she was led to a wide room with small cushions on the floor in front of small stands with plates of food on them, the Guardian pointing to a seat before moving to a long table at the back of the room that had people in black robes. 

Stepping past people quietly, she moved to sit down at a stand that had no one around her in at least a one-seat radius. 

Lena guessed she was somewhere in the Himalayas, as this temple’s design and the food were both very eastern, but this didn’t change her attitude towards anything, so she just broke open the chopsticks she only knew how to use because of take-out during the summer with Severus and started to eat.

A middle-aged man sat down next to her in brown robes and when she glanced at him, he smiled politely at her.

Eyes moving back to her plate, she ate and as more spaces around her filled with people even though there were plenty of spaces, her hand found the place the locket usually hung and worried at the hem of the white robes. 

Not soon enough, the Guardian was stopping in front of her.

Standing, she looked at the woman with a question in her eyes, tilting her head slightly.

Nodding, the Guardian moved to walk down the aisle, and Lena hurriedly wound through the small aisles to catch up. The woman walked through the halls with measured steps, slowly seeming to descend lower into the temples until the smooth stone walls turned into rough cavern walls. 

She peered around as they started to pass by small pools of water, though her eyes snapped to the back of the woman in front of her when she caught sight of someone’s very _naked _back in one of the pools of water. 

_ Of course, these were bathing pools Lena, you idiot. _

Keeping her eyes resolutely to herself, they descended further until the Guardian stopped in front of a man that had blue lines tracing his head, face, and down his chest (as he wasn’t wearing a shirt). The woman turned to her with more magic writing. _ “This is the Riverwalker. You will go with him and try to get the water to trust you. He will keep you from drowning, but you must stay in the water from the time he has you get into the time I come back for you.” _

Resisting the urge to raise her eyebrows at the ‘keep you from drowning’ thing, she nodded and the man waved her forward silently.

Moving with him, they entered a room that was almost pitch black and she was about to make a witch light when he lit a candle. Stopping at the edge of what looked like a pool of black liquid, he motioned for her to get in.

Looking down at herself, she divested of her outermost clothing, left in her linens as she set the white clothing to the side and moved to sit down on the edge. Dipping her feet in and blinking when she found it pleasantly warm, she slowly moved into the water and looking back to where Riverwalker waved at her, slowly swam towards the middle of the pool. 

The light then was gone and she flinched slightly, feeling her breathing get more ragged as it almost seemed to get harder to stay afloat. 

Taking a deep breath of air and closing her eyes, she let herself sink into the water.

_ It’s alright- It’s just like swimming with Delphi, right? _

Letting herself float up to the surface, she went to instinctively move her hands to keep herself floating but paused when the water itself seemed to support her. Slowly, as if running her hands against a surface rather than trying to tread water, she felt the surface seem to move with her as if it was pleased to support her.

Well... Now she understood why the guardian said ‘get the water to trust you’.

And getting trust started with giving trust first, didn’t it?

So she closed her eyes, comforted by the warmth and the soothing presence of the water (that sort of reminded her of Riddle’s hugs), and let herself drift into a peaceful sleep.

There was the sound of a loud clap and she woke from her slumber, jolting and flailing slightly before remembering the water.

The Guardian and Riverwalker looked at each other before Riverwalker waved her towards them.

Moving through the water almost felt easier as she swam over, pulling herself out and shivering slightly. 

The Guardian draped a warm thick blanket over her, taking her white fabrics and motioning at her to follow. Frowning slightly at the woman taking her clothes, they walked back up to the large open area full of people she had been led through the day before and she pulled the blanket around herself tighter as they walked again to the same red-haired woman.

Setting the white robes before the woman, the Guardian jerked her head towards Lena.

Starting to sign in gestures rapidly, the woman she guessed was some sort of tailor or seamstress seemed to be talking about her.

Lena just held the blanket around herself with a hand, moving idly to where a book was sitting on a nearby side table, flicking her wrist slightly so it lifted to levitate in front of her. Moving to an empty chair, she curled up, magic flipping the pages when she wanted.

She’d found a book on ancient rune war wards, tracing the patterns of the wards on the back of her hand to help her imagine them without drawing them out. 

In a burst of irritation and inspiration, she focused on seeing the runic designs in the air, smiling proudly when lines of sunset orange started to trace themselves in the pattern she wanted. Flipping through the pages, she used her free hand to sort of ‘draw’ corrections to the figure as she went.

A figure moved to stand before her, words writing themselves in the air. _ “That is a runic battleward.” _

She nodded, letting the book move to be set back on the table and then looking at the ward she’d made with a small frown. It was intricate and beautiful in itself, but there were obvious gaps on the outside that a single ward couldn’t fix._“I do have my runes mastery.” _Words writing themselves out as she then moved to weave another tighter almost doughnut-shaped ward of triangles and crossing threads, she slowly pressed the two designs together, correcting where she saw the shapes being split into those that would break easily or where two runic phrases would cancel each other out.

When she glanced at the woman watching her, there were new words. _ “If you are willing, may the scholars study it when you are done?” _

Lena looked at the woman dead on as her own words re-wrote themselves. _ “If I am allowed my locket back.” _

_ “Why is an object of such dark magic as that of a soul container so important to you?” _

_ “If you don’t want to give it to me then I am happy to keep this ward to myself. I can always make another.” _Watching the woman’s eyebrows furrow, she turned back to her ward, still finding minor things to correct and runes to change as she watched the color shift from an orange to a blood red.

When she felt it was good enough for the moment, she concentrated carefully to lock it into her memory before she looked back at the woman- who was now holding out her locket in a piece of fabric.

Taking it in hand, she instantly moved to clasp it around her neck, holding it and feeling it pulse happily against her skin. Dipping her head, she smiled at the woman brightly. _ “Thank you. I don’t sleep very well without it.” _

_ “And the ward?” _

Lena nodded, watching in fascination as the woman took out a piece of parchment from her robes, letting the reddish magic burn into the paper its design. Then with a small hidden smile, the woman turned and left.

The Guardian moved over to her with a set of light blue robes and a book, motioning for her to stand and she was led back to her rooms.

Left alone to dry herself off and dress, she used wandless magic to tie up her hair before looking at the book the woman had given to her. Hand-bound with worn leather, she smiled slightly when she opened it to see a book showing different moving drawings of how to speak in the rapid hand symbols the others did that were called ‘signs’.

Lena went to sleep with the dimming of the natural light and woke with the sound of footsteps, as she didn’t want to waste her candle. Every three days the Guardian would stop by and ask if she wanted to take the third task, but Lena was far too interested in the Library to take a break from all she was learning.

And even though she’d quickly picked up the basics of the sign language, she seldom used it except to talk to the Librarian and a few of the scholars that she found to help her understand some of the more advanced books.

It seemed that even as isolated as she tried to keep herself, she had made something of a name for herself by completing two of the tasks in two days.

Waking up and brushing her fingers through her hair, she recognized that she would have to wash eventually, even if the whole 'public washing space' left her soft of freaked out.

So she just fell into her routine, getting up and slipping on her robes before padding through the halls silently so she could eat breakfast early.

The sun barely touching the hall with its sleepy rays, she met the Librarian's gaze from across the empty room, nodding her head and then folding herself in front of one of the small benches.

When she was finishing her meal, most people were filling in and she took the opportunity to go down to the caverns.

Divulging herself of the robes neatly next to a small pool of water near the very back, she hesitated in both removing the locket and her under-linens.

Leaving both on with a simple waterproofing charm on the locket, she slowly lowered herself into the water that was surprisingly not the worst temperature. Tilting her head back, she resisted the urge to hum as she washed the oil from her hair with the small vial of bathing soaps that the Guardian handed out each week.

Singing was not as restricted in the temple, but there were still only specific days that one was able to sing unless they were in the fifth ring.

Meaning they had passed the final fifth test.

Each test meant advancing a 'ring' because not only was it easy to use to refer to people's status when talking to one another (not that she ever did), but it also referred to the library.

The center of the Temple of the Elements was a large circular library, only every person that entered started at the center. The Librarian was the keeper of knowledge- which was more precious than anything to the Temple's history- and to get to more advanced topics, one had to pass the trials.

As it was, she had passed the first ring without even knowing it, joining the second ring.

Which was interesting, because as most people here had passed the first task, there were only a few in the light blue robes- and when she had asked the Riverwalker when she’d seen him come up for a meal, he had said that those few had long been okay with that as they had fears blocking their way.

And looking at those few people, all healthy and surely masters of their craft in some way, she had to wonder what the next trial was that scared them so much they would not press on.

Perhaps… it was something like the fear side of the second task in the Triwizard Tournament?

Either way, she was not too excited to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Meanwhile)  
Barty: Maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way.  
Tom: No. I want Lena.  
(Barty's trying so hard guys)  
~  
Gotta love some good world-building time to flex the brain-muscles, alas, there's no Riddle nor Tom around rn :(  
This is Lena's Hot Girl Summer (+ winter + another summer) ^-^  
I hope y'all are doing well!


	46. Temple of the Elements, Nepal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recommend listening to 'Ring of Fire' by Johnny Cash while reading this ^-^

Lena found herself sitting in front of the Librarian. 

The library lay in wide rows that seemed almost to change and shift like some sort of labyrinth around them, the Librarian sitting in the center of the library on a simple cushion with a low table in front of her. 

Lena had sat down on the cushion opposing the woman, as the Guardian had given her summons before the woman. Signing out a formal greeting, she dipped her head and then waited to be told why she was here.

Looking amused, the Librarian just calmly asked how she was sleeping.

Her response, _ “Fine, thank you,” _only held so much weight when her body was tense and her eyebrows furrowed, but the woman nodded slightly.

_ “Do you not wish to advance to the third ring? When the Lemondrop sent me a letter that he would be sending his best pupil, he made it seem like you would complete the five rings in a matter of days and yet you spend all your time in the library.” _

Lena couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that escaped her lips, singing out an apology even though she knew that instinctual sounds of the body were not counted in the code of silence. When she calmed, her smile was still wide, signing a quick question. _ “Windkeeper gave him the name ‘the Lemondrop?’” _

The Librarian smiled back at her softly, the first time she’d seen the woman smile. _ “He kept offering the muggle candy to Windkeeper. It was his fault, though he seemed to not care all that much.” _

_ “Sounds like him.” _ Her smile then turned a bit more melancholy, thinking of the family she missed so much, though she knew that until she was of the third ring she could not have communication with the outside world. _ “I think that I have been hiding in books, as I know how to do that well… but I suppose I will try this task.” _

_ “Excellent.” _ As the woman waved a hand, Lena blinked when the Guardian seemed to melt out of the bookshelves, moving over to them. _ “The Emerald Child is ready for the third task.” _

_ Conniving little… _

Lena sighed slightly as she stood, rolling her eyes so there was some record of her reluctance before following the Guardian.

As the library was connected to the main area, she wasn’t all that surprised when a few people decided to follow them as they meandered through the stone halls to a set of doors. Looking at the Guardian before letting herself into the doors, she found there was a large room like an amphitheater but in the center of the room… was a black circle.

Moving forward warily, she let her magic spread out around her because there was no way in hell she was getting pushed into that thing- whatever it was- and inched forward to stand at the edge.

Someone stopped next to her and she wobbled for a moment before steadying herself and glaring at the figure, heart racing.

An elderly woman with kind eyes smiled at her in amusement, settling a steadying hand on her shoulder. The woman had large gold disks in her ears, other gold jewelry larger than her eyes decorating her nose and ears in what had to be piercings that accented the wrinkled olive skin well. 

Blinking a few times, Lena pushed appearance aside and then bowed her head respectfully, asking if she was the one responsible for the third task. 

_ “I am the Earthmother.” _ Signing with slightly shaky hands, the old woman smiled that kind and yet amused smile again. _ “If you are ready, I will ask the earth to meet you for your task.” _

Swallowing, she nodded, too nervous to sign out a response but thankfully her message seemed to be received. The Earthmother moved her hands out from her hips and then slowly with open palms, pressed up on the air as if raising something heavy.

With a loud rumbling sound, she watched in awe as the pit seemed to become more and more shallow, the ground rising until there was only a flat surface with a ring around where the ring had been.

Doing another gesture as if to help hold the spell, the woman looked at her, signing something quickly before going back to the position of having her palms raised. _ “I am here to make sure you do not die. As long as you remember to breathe, everything will be fine. Get on.” _

_ What was it with these tasks and being liable to kill her! _

Taking a deep breath, she pressed her nails into her palms for a long second before slowly stepping out onto the disk of earth the woman had raised.

And like she suspected, it then started to lower, slowly losing her glimpse of the amphitheater as she was lowered into the ground until all she could see was a circle of light that got smaller the lower she went.

By the time she stopped moving, the light was barely a pinprick in the distance.

Sitting down on the ground, she sighed slightly and wondered if this was it. Because this was-

With a loud rumble, she looked up to see the light disappear, reaching up and stilling when her hand hit cold dirt. Breath speeding up as her brain whirled- _ what the bloody hell burying people alive wasn’t in the deal!- _she scrambled to grab the locket and then collapsed into a ball on the ground as her knees gave out in something in between desperation and fear.

_ She had promised- she hadn’t even celebrated her sixteenth birthday which had probably already passed- _

The locket pulsing gently, she took a ragged breath and shook her head.

_ No. She couldn’t panic. _

_ The Earthmother said she wouldn’t die. _

_ She just needed to conserve air. _

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she ran her finger over the edge of the locket just like she used to do with the cracked teacups in Jack’s kitchen, counting the seconds as she inhaled and then exhaled until she could calm herself. Then laying down in the center of the circle, she let just a single tear slip to the ground. 

Slowly her fingers let go of the locket and instead she traced out letters, patterns, and runes she remembered against the earth. 

If the water was about trust, the earth was about patience.

Each mountain took millions of years to form, the earth slowly letting itself erode and then be built back up, so she just let herself find a state of calm where she knew she wouldn’t panic again unless something else happened and closed her eyes. 

Lena had always found the smell of the earth soothing, even when Matron would trap her in the cellar she’d find comfort in the familiarity, and eventually, she'd realized that the cellar was a space where she could be alone to do many things including read her books or just get away from the other children.

This was just another version of the cellar.

When the rumble of the ground made her recognize she was coming closer to the light, she just turned over so she could watch the light slowly get closer, blinking when she was raised into the amphitheater.

The Earthmother smiled at her fondly. _ “You look tired, Emerald Child.” _

_ “I swear all these tasks were made to put me to sleep.” _ Yawning softly she then pushed herself up so she could stretch, ambling over to the woman’s side and watching the earth sink back into itself. _ “That was the task?” _

_ “That was the task.” _Patting her shoulder in more contact she’d had in weeks, the Earthmother shook her head and started to walk away.

The Guardian smiled wryly as she moved to Lena’s side. _ “New robes then? And perhaps a bath too.” _

She looked down at herself, seeing she was covered in dirt, sighing again.

_ Because of course she was. _

  
  


_ Lena, _

_ I hope this reaches you and that wherever Abus sends you is somewhat pleasant and not a waste of the time you should be using to learn and grow. _

_ I’m worried. _

_ Lily keeps telling me that you’ll be alright and that I’m worrying over nothing, but really, I hope everything is well and this letter will reach you. _

_ Merlin, is it always this nerve-wracking to have a child? _

_ Severus _

  
  


Smiling slightly at the letter from her perch in one of the highest windows of the temple that she’d found no one ever really went up to, she moved to slip from the window sill, padding silently down the stone steps and nodding politely to those she passed.

Entering the large vaulted library in the center of the temple that smelled of dust and wood, she moved to stand before where the Librarian was sitting in the middle of the room with her legs crossed, bowing in respect. When this got a dip of the head to continue, she moved her hands into the appropriate signs to ask for the materials to send a letter to her father.

The woman pointed to the cushion across from her, her hand movements telling Lena that she wished to watch.

Nodding, she sat down and crossed her legs, focusing on the parchment that the librarian set before her instead of the eyes watching her. As each task- whether for oneself or another- was considered a chance to learn, she leaned forward and summoned a quill in her hand.

Instantly a reed hit the quill from her fingers with a sting, the Librarian explaining with rapid hand signs that there was more to connecting with people than writing down meaningless words.

Lena only set her hands back in her lap slowly, looking from the paper to the woman.

Blue eyes stared at her, watching, waiting for her to understand.

_ Perhaps she was to write the letter without actually writing it? _

Licking her lips, she closed her eyes, imagining the parchment in her mind and then mentally writing out what she wished to say to Severus. Visualizing every stroke of the ink, every line where it would loop or curl, she signed it and then opened her eyes to find the letter sitting between her and the woman.

Nodding, the librarian waved her off to send it.

Smiling brightly and standing, she bowed again and then took the parchment, moving quickly to find one of the others in the black robes that could direct her to the owlery (which turned out to be full of beautiful golden eagles).

  
  


_ Severus, _

_ I am well, not to worry. _

_ It is strange to read your letter, as I hear your voice in my head when I see your scrawl and where I am there is no verbal communication allowed. There are no incantations nor any speaking between people as everything is communicated through expressions, body language, and a complex form of silent hand gestures. _

_ For a while it was strange, living in silence, but I hear the birds when I wake and the wind through the halls makes a wonderful sound. Even the rain has become a melody to the ears. _

_ Though I might just be going crazy. _

_ Your daughter, _

_ Lena _

  
  


The man with the red-looking skin as if he’d been cooking in the sun all day waved her forward into the room that the Head of the Temple had directed her to after she’d stood from the small breakfast.

Moving before the man, she bowed slightly, asking silently if he would tell her his title.

Dipping his head back, the man introduced himself as _ “Firebringer” _ and then asked in turn for her title, to which she signed back _ “Emerald Child” _ as that was the title given to her upon arrival.

With a small amused smile, the man then signed to her that her task was to sit in the ring in the center of the room for as long as she could get used to her surroundings.

Lena moved over warily, unsure why it seemed too simple, sitting down in the center of a medium-sized ring and crossing her legs. She was about to sign and ask if this was another lesson in meditation when the ring burst into flame and she instinctively pulled her hands close to herself, looking past the flame just in time to see the Firebringer (whose name now made much more sense) bow slightly to her before turning and walking out of the room.

She wondered idly if he had other people to trap in rings of fire.

Moving to hold the locket, wanting to feel Tom’s comforting presence, she let go not soon after as she began to sweat. Moving to pin her hair up, she wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead where they were collecting before closing her eyes. 

Trying to concentrate on getting used to the feeling of the heat, she sat in silence with her eyes closed and decided when she finally got out of this damned ring, she was going to dunk herself in the coldest pool of water she could find.

Lena wondered if the Firebringer was so red because he’d been cooked by a ring of fire.

Time was strange in this state, as she felt like it had been days but knew it could also have only been hours, her brain whirling as she sat in silence with her eyes closed.

_ Would they let her eat? Give her water? Would she pass out if she couldn’t complete the test? Wasn’t it dangerous to collapse around a fire? _

Taking a deep breath, she reassured herself that they wouldn’t do something like that and just let herself focus on the beads of continuous sweat trickling down her skin.

Slowly her whole world focused a little clearer and she was able to breathe a bit better when there was nothing in her head except for the cool ripple of the sweat rolling down her slick skin.

She could still feel the fire- it’s flickering tongues swaying as if trying to lick her skin- but she wasn’t afraid anymore.

Just like how it had taken a while to get used to the silence in the air of the temple’s halls, but when she did, the first of August (she had been glad to be able to know the date) when song rang from every corner of the dimly lit halls had felt like the sound was ringing in her very bones.

There was no pain in the fire as it, like her, just wished to have company.

Then the fire was gone and when her eyes opened slowly, she saw that many of the scholars had come to watch as she had found was fairly usual with her tasks- most that come to the doors of the mountain already legends in their own right, so to see a young and inexperienced witch pass so many of their tests, she could imagine, was a learning experience in itself.

The Firebringer moved to stand before her, bowing slightly and then signing that she was now allowed to read the books in the fourth ring of the library and permitted entrance into the inner temple.

Slowly pushing herself up, feeling damp and gross, she still bowed respectfully and signed back to ask if she was permitted to leave. When he nodded, she dipped her head and then made her way out of the room, heading to the underground springs.

After trials they were allowed time to themselves, supposed to reflect on what they’d been through. So after she’d dumped two buckets of what felt like ice water over her skin to rid herself of the sweat with a small gasp, she moved to the edge of the natural spring in the very very back of the caverns that ran down from the glaciers of the mountain, wondering how cold it would be.

Curious, she held up a hand, summoning a small ball of fire.

Surprisingly, unlike how she usually had to almost strain to control the fire before, it now only flickered happily in her palm as if okay with being used to her will.

Smiling, she threw it down into the water and watched as it burst out like a muted explosion, the water starting to steam lightly. Then dipping a toe into the water to find it was pleasantly warm, she moved to strip off her outer robes so she was in thin linens, wading into the water.

_ Maybe she should recommend this place to Ginny, who already had an affinity for fire. _

As the colors of the robes got progressively darker as they went, she happened to like the blood-red robes of the fourth ring.

Often she found herself working in the medicine room, as the Healer was a kind older man that sort of reminded her of a mix between Perenelle and Albus. Plus ever since she’d found the room in her exploration of the inner parts of the temple and the old man had invited her to stay- but only if she would help him harvest the aloe flesh from a plant that was overflowing its pot- she’d found interest in ‘listening’ to his absentminded signing as he would treat the few patents that ever passed through while she learned whatever old potions she didn’t even know were possible with just a few simple ingredients.

However after a week or so he sat her down and asked plainly why she had not sat down to do the fifth task yet.

_ “Why do I feel as if everyone is pushing me to complete these tasks?” _ Her signs were tense, eyebrows furrowed.

Reaching out to take her hands in his own steady but wrinkled ones, the Healer smiled gently before pulling back to sign slowly, _ “Because the Scholars that leave must make a vow that they have learned all they want and they will never come back. That is why some never leave. The Librarian wants you to learn as much as you can before you choose to move on.” _

Lena felt something in her chest sink. _ “What if-” _ Taking a moment to calm her signs as the Healer couldn’t read them if they were too fast, she tried again. _ “What if I don’t want to leave?” _

_ “Then you would not have been so hurried to get back that locket.” _ The Healer smiled simply. _ “You have a greater density than to stay behind these walls, child.” _

_ “My destiny is to die. These walls seem much nicer.” _

The Healer gave her a soft smile, signing as he stood to treat a man of the third ring that had entered. _ “Perhaps like the trials here, death seems like the only option before you look past that and trust yourself to find another way.” _

Knowing their conversation was over for the moment, she shook her head and moved to head to the main hall for lunch.

The Inner Temple- which lay past the Librarian opposite the door that led to the main temple- was a fascinating place that seemed to take the temple and flip it so there were different things in every room, the main area full of people sitting silently in meditative states around an opening for sunlight instead of a dining room.

Usually avoiding the main area because of the tense atmosphere and the number of people, she decided to go down to the inner temple at night.

When everyone was heading back to their rooms, she just passed through the empty library without touching anything- knowing better when the Librarian wasn’t there- and slowly made her way into the inner temple. The sun was gone and the cushions empty, but somehow it felt… right.

“Do you come to do the task.”

Spinning around, everything in her jolting at hearing an actual voice, she stared at where a figure in all black seemed to glide into the room after her. Everything was covered in black fabric except for the lower half of their face and the upper half was covered by a smooth curved gold mask. Raising her hands, she then paused, not sure if the figure would be able to see her signs.

“The sun has set on the Inner Temple and you can speak in my presence, Emerald Child. Are you here to do the task.” 

Its voice was genderless, void of emotion, making Lena shift her weight slightly. Her voice was hoarse and thin from disuse when she spoke. “I came to understand. To see if anyone would be here during the night.”

The figure was silent for a moment, before gliding past her and sinking to one of the cushions. “And why would they be here during the night? Isn’t that when most sleep?”

Moving to sit on a cushion so she was facing the person, she nodded slightly, as it wasn’t necessarily wrong. “But this whole Temple is based on the Elements.” When the figure was quiet and still, she pushed herself to continue explaining the thought that had led her here. “Everyone knows the fifth element is void, but they all think that means to find darkness in the light, hence why they sit in this room during the day… but I don’t agree.”

“Why?”

Lena waved her hands. “Because every task has been about putting yourself in that element and then finding peace in it! So why _ not _come here during the night- when it’s the absence of light?”

The figure smiled. “Very good.”

Frowning, she tilted her head. “Who are you?”

“The Guide. I come to those who are ready to do the fifth task, though I have never led one so young.” Then reaching out, two black-gloved hands were held out to her. “I, unlike the others, cannot promise that you will come back from this task alive, much less the same.”

“And if I refuse?”

The lips quirked up again. “Then you will leave and I will wait until you come back. If you ever come back.”

Looking from the black fabric-covered hands to the golden mask as if she could see eyes if she looked hard enough, she took a deep breath and then reached out to lay her hands in the others. 

_   
  
_

Lena was with her court next to the fire in the Slytherin Common Room and everyone was there- even Cedric, Janus, Fluer, Charlie, Luna, Viktor, Dumbledore, Nick, Perry, Severus, her Court- they were all there and everything was good and happy and she was laughing at a joke someone had made.

“Lena?”

Looking up, she smiled at seeing Tom standing there with two mugs in his hands- because of course he would be here too. “Hey, did you stop by the kitchens on your way here?”

With a small crooked smile she adored, he stepped over where Ginny and Blaise were sitting on the floor, and she got up so he could sit in her armchair before curling up in his lap. “My Queen wished for hot chocolate, didn’t she?” Then pretending to keep the mugs away from her hands for a moment, he chuckled and handed one to her. “How are you today, lovely?”

“Better now that you’re here.” Taking a deep breath and leaning into his side where he smelled like freshly turned earth and leather-bound books, she took a sip of the hot chocolate.

Only, even though she registered the liquid was hot and that it slid down her throat soothingly, she couldn’t taste anything.

Her eyebrows furrowed.

“If you keep that face you’ll make me worry that I made the hot chocolate wrong.” Tom smiled, but it was concerned, one of his warm hands moving to smooth out her brow. “What’s bothering you?”

Taking a deep breath, she was about to just explain the weirdness, but-

But the familiar smells of the room had gone too.

She leaned in, pressing her nose to his chest but there was no familiar smell. She just- There was the feeling of inhaling but- but any sort of scent was gone.

Pulling back, thrown off balance, she looked up and to her horror, Tom was frowning with his mouth moving but she couldn’t hear- Anything.

She couldn’t hear anything.

Eyes darting around the room, she scrambled to stand up and though people were looking at her with their mouths moving, no sound was reaching her.

Someone was pointing at her hand and she looked down to see she’d spilled the hot liquid all over her hand.

And yet there was no feeling, no burning heat

Fumbling to press her hand to Tom’s face, wanting to feel his comforting presence and smooth skin, there was nothing but the knowledge her hand couldn’t move further in that direction without more force.

Her breathing was short, lung squeezing and she dug her fingers into Tom’s shoulder as her vision went spotty and slowly everything turned black.

She felt herself trying to run- trying to move even as things blocked her way- feeling like a limp jellyfish trying to move over and around objects. 

And then all sensation of feeling faded.

There was only thought.

_ Where’s Tom?! _

_ What did you do to me?! _

_ I can’t- I can’t stay here- I have to get back… _

_ Tom-... _

_ Where… where am I? _

_ Why… _

_ Why? _

“Do you understand?”

_ I don’t understand anything. _

_ Help. _

_ Please. _

_ Why am I… here? _

_ I need- I need Tom. _

_ Everything makes sense around him, _ ** _please_**_. _

“I cannot bring you back. Only you can do that.”

_ But I… everything’s so hard to- to do without… _

_ I need them. _

_ Without them I’m… _

_ Nothing. _

_ I’m nothing. _

There was silence, which she had long come accustomed to, but nothing was real and everything was slowly getting dimmer and dimmer.

The darkness grew thicker around her like a weight pressing down on her.

“Why do you keep standing then? Breathing? Living? If you are nothing without them… why do you exist?”

_ I’m… _

_ I’m not sure. _

“If you think your destiny is to die… does it matter when?”

_ I have to destroy the locket first. _

_ It’s my job. _

_ Tom’s going to- _

_ Tom has to kill me. _

_ The prophecy has to be completed and- _

“Living and dying are not linear, Lena. If you have already accepted your death, then it does not matter when. The rest will fall into place."

_Why then?_

_ If it’s like you say, then… why does it feel as if every single atom in me still fights to come back, to swim harder every time I sink? _

"You tell me. Show me... Why do you live?”

_ I don't- _

_ I don't know... _

“Why do you live?”

She didn't know- _why was it worth it?_

_ Why was she living? _

And then the answer came to her in a reminder of warmth like the sun on her skin.

_ ...Him. _

Somewhere in the darkness there started to form a figure of Tom, his smile, his perfectly styled hair, his eyes that held the occasional gleam of curiosity and happiness.

_ And them. _

The others slowly came back to her, Theo’s warm hugs, Blaise’s sarcastic smiles, Janus’s worried frowns, Perenelle’s soft fond hair ruffles, Albus’s twinkling blue eyes, Severus’s steady hand on her shoulder…

“I thought you were nothing without them?”

_ ...not nothing, I guess, just not as good. _

_ But with them I am everything and I will never stop fighting to keep them with me. _

_ Never. _

“I see.”

_   
  
_

The hands pulled away and she swayed slightly, feeling all of her senses return to her at once. Blinking against the way the sun was just beginning to rise and feeling a headache coming on, she peered at the woman. 

“You touched the void and then found your way back. You are a Master of the Temple now.” Standing seamlessly, the figure started to walk away.

“You knew my name.”

Pausing, the figure looked back at her, lips curving in a smile she now recognized. “Of course I did. Why wouldn’t I?” 

Then the dark-robed figure was gone and she was left alone, wondering why she hadn’t realized before that she’d seen that same smile in the mirror for years now.

She went back to her room quietly, deciding not to go to breakfast, and laid down in her room that was seemingly always dark.

And when she woke from what seemed like a dream, she wasn't sure what was real- except black robes were sitting by her mattress.

Lena made her way down to the library, sitting in front of the Librarian who just smiled as if expecting her.

_ “How did the trial go?” _

Lena frowned, her signs slow, as she didn’t know what to say. _ “It went alright.” _

The Librarian nodded. _ “The Guide is not always kind to those who take the task, so I am glad to see you are alright. If I may ask, what did they take from you?” _ When she tilted her head, the woman explained further. _ “They take what is most important to you, show you the way without material, as that is what void is- absence.” _

_ “They...” _ She paused, starting over. _ “They took everything from me. I was without my family, my sensation, everything that mattered. Except… the one thing they didn’t take from me was my mind.” _

_ “If they had taken that as well, you would not have gotten it back.” _ The Librarian’s eyes were somehow sad as they studied her. _ “Those that are deprived of their minds usually do not care as much for those around them and those people are what help them find their way. If you had lost both… you would have been unable to come back.” _

She felt as if she needed to clarify one thing, looking away as she signed. _ “When I lost my senses I would have been fine with it if it had just been smell and taste, but when I was unable to be there for- for a person I care about... that upset me.” _

Reaching out, the Librarian tapped her hand gently, catching her eyes again and starting to sign. _ “Perhaps it is good that you are traveling, as even though being there for those you love is never a bad thing, there will come a time that you must live for yourself.” _

_ “I understand," _ Lena sighed slowly, _ "thank you.” _

But before she could stand, the woman removed a small package from the sleeve of her robes. Taking it, she furrowed her eyebrows. 

_ “From the Lemondrop.” _

Smiling slightly and nodding, she then stood and dipped her head respectfully before heading to the tower for some fresh air.

_   
  
_

_ My dear girl, _

_ I hope that your summer has been exciting thus far as I wrote this in advance for when the Librarian deems you ready to move on. And no matter what ring you are at when you get this, know that I am exceedingly proud of you for even making it into the temple (even as I knew you would). _

_ I digress. _

_ You will be staying in the home of one of my closest friends, as I think you and he will get along. Though I would advise that you take everything he says with a grain of salt. _

_ And never- I repeat, never- show him the wand you got from me. _

_ The portkey has two trips- one to get you there and then one to bring it back to me so I know you got there safely and what day you arrived. Also, attaching any letters for your friends wouldn’t be amiss. _

_ Well wishes, _

_ Lemondrop _

  
  


Lena stood at the large doors in her cloak with her clothes and backpack, nice heavy boots the Seamstress had made her on her feet. Smiling at the Librarian, she held out a small letter. _ “For the Healer.” _

Taking it and dipping her head, the Librarian gave her a melancholy smile. _ “He will appreciate it.” _

The Guardian moved to pull her into a hug and she smiled as the Earthmother did the same, having gotten close to many of the Masters of the Temple during her time here. Then with a smile, she waved at the Librarian, who sighed softly but gave in and embraced her softly.

Pulling back, the Librarian pursed her lips. _ “Go, Emerald Child. You are ready to leave here.” _

_ “I wish nothing but good fate for this beautiful place.” _With one last breath of the warm air, she turned to move to Windkeeper’s side.

“Are you ready to leave?”

Her smile was crooked, her voice rough. “I feel as if this is harder than all the tasks combined.”

The large man smiled. “That is why not many do it.”

They walked back through the blizzard and she understood how he could walk so easy, as now the wind seemed to only dance around her instead of trying to claw into her bones. When the Windkeeper stopped, she looked at him. “I guess this is it then.”

The man nodded. “You are outside the boundary.” Gesturing to the mountain in the distance, she looked over to see that there were no more temple doors. “There is no re-entry to the Temple. Goodbye, Emerald Child.”

“Goodbye, Windkeeper.” With a small smile, she took out the regular watch that Albus had sent this time, pulling out the watch stem and feeling the portkey takeover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lena: This might kill me?  
The Guide: Only if you die.  
Lena:  
Lena: Yes- that's what killing me means...  
~  
Not much Tom in this chapter... but we'll see him soon! And thanks to Ryuu and Amy for convincing me to post this in one chapter rather than two!  
Hope everything's going well!


	47. The Woods of West Austria

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, hello, apparently I'm just making everyone more likable in this story  
And yes. Pretty much all of you guessed correctly in who she's going to see :P

Lena found herself standing on a small cobblestone road in the middle of the woods and when she looked around, she saw a tower rising in the distance, deciding since that was the only thing around she'd start that way. As she did, she opened her mind barriers while redoing her bun, as her hair had grown fairly long in the time at the Temple.

_ “Oh, am I allowed back now? Where are we?” _

_ I’m not exactly sure. I just got the portkey from Dumbledore. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to speak to you, but the Temple had a strict policy against communication. Would you like the memories? _

Riddle sounded as if he was pouting. _ “Yes please.” _

Smiling slightly and moving a hand to brush against the locket, she let her memories flow past her inner mind barrier as she strolled down the path and studied the trees around her as she did.

After a while, Riddle gave a soft hum. _ “Banning me probably was because I would have had some choice words about how many times they wanted you to die and apparently they don’t like that.” _

_ Sure. That’s why they wanted me to get rid of you. It’s not like you reek of dark magic or anything. _

_ “Rude.” _

Lena chuckled, shaking her head slightly. 

_ I’m glad you’re back. I missed being able to hear your voice. _

_ “And I missed hearing yours, my dear.” _

Her smile was fond as they talked about everything they’d missed in the last month or so, the path sort of calming as it wound through the trees and around what looked like a mountain.

But soon enough the warm air was more than irritating in her winter clothes and she shrugged off her heavy robes in trade for her under-linens, walking barefoot as she carried her nice winter boots.

Riddle teasing her about not wanting to bathe in the pools at the Temple nude, she laughed sort of sarcastically, relishing the sound in the air. “Maybe I didn’t show you all my memories- Oh, and did I mention they were public bathing spaces?”

_ “Wait- you didn’t- Lena that’s not appropriate! You’re barely sixteen!” _

“Hypocrite!” Her voice was sing-song, laughing as he sputtered. “Those are some big double-standards you got there, Riddle.”

He huffed, tone petulant. _ “You’re so mean to me, my love.” _

Snorting, she swung her boots as she smiled sarcastically. “Darling, if others aren’t allowed to see me naked until I’m seventeen because it’s not culturally appropriate, then how are you any different?”

_ “...I love you?” _

She rolled her eyes. “You’re full of rubbish. If we ever meet in another life, remind me that when we get married, to hold off the Honeymoon for a good twenty years to compensate for our age difference.”

_ “Married? You want… You’d marry me?” _

“Darling, of course, we’d get married. I may not want some big white wedding, but that way I can make sure you’re stuck with me forever.” Her grin was tinted with a bit of bitterness, looking down at the mossy cobblestone. “I think in that other life- you know, the one beyond the stars- I think that we’d probably both end up teaching. Maybe we’d be like Perenelle and Nicolas, with one of us Defence or Charms and the other Potions or Runes.”

_ “I think that we could make that happen. You’d be a wonderful teacher, darling.” _

Her smile was fond. “And I _ know _you’re a natural at teaching. I’ve known for a long while.” Her train of thought was side-tracked as she spotted a bridge in the distance. “Now to see about this friend of Albus’s…”

Riddle hummed, seemingly stuck on their conversation. _ “So. Wedding. Who would walk you down the aisle? And the ring bearer? Because these things take time to plan, Lena. It’s not something we can throw togeth-” _

“Breathe, lovely.” She chuckled softly, amused at how much of a tizzy he’d gotten himself into over something that they both knew would never even happen. “Severus would walk me down the aisle, and since you _killed _your family, I guess Albus would be the ring-bearer. Or Ginny. She would do it.”

_ “It’s happening. We’re getting married. I plan to get Narcissa, Perenelle, and Lily in on this, I hope you know.” _

Lena just smiled and hummed along with his excited rambling, giving input whenever he seemed to get stuck on something but mostly just enjoying the happy warmth that he radiated during the walk to the bridge.

Still half-listening, she got slightly distracted by the way the bridge seemed to go from a cliff out to a castle that was sitting on a pillar of rock with the surrounding area of the castle a sheer drop into… nothing, as far as she could see.

Pursing her lips slightly, she made sure to stay in the very middle of the bridge, moving to the large wooden doors and knocking lightly.

_ “-and Greengrass would braid flowers into your hair of course. You’d look lovely with little bluebells all-” _

_ Darling. Please. Can we talk about this when I’m able to see you rather than when I’m at the doors of a creepy castle? _

There was a pause. _ “Fine…” _

_ Thank you, dear. _

Looking around the doors and knocking again, she scrambled back when the doors started to swing outwards, seeing a small house elf standing there. “Miss Farlands?”

“Uh- Yes. That’s me.” Stepping forward and looking around the good-sized courtyard, she moved to follow the house-elf when it waved at her almost impatiently. Glancing around the gilded hall that they entered, she was shepherded into a large sitting room.

“Waits here.”

Setting her boots on the floor and her bag on a nearby sofa, she moved around the room to admire the paintings. The room- and those she’d passed through- were gilded with splendor, rugs of finery, and tapestries unlike she’d ever seen before.

The rooms she’d seen in just her walk here screamed history and she just wondered how Albus had so many cool friends.

_ “Uh- Lena, darling?” _ Riddle sounded a bit worried, which was never a good sign. _ “Perhaps you should leave. I think we’re in the wrong castle- look at the coat of arms above the fireplace.” _

Turning slowly, she stared at the large carved symbol.

The symbol used by one notoriously very curse-happy Dark Lord. 

One that used to be Dumbledore's friend.

“Oh Merlin, Albus…” Her voice was soft, unable to look away as if this was a train wreck happening before her very eyes. “You didn’t...”

“Oh, but he did.” 

And when she looked over, a grinning Gellert Grindelwald (that was older than the pictures in the history books, but looked in otherwise good shape) was leaning against the doorway to the room.

Lena eyed the man. “You’re supposed to be locked up.”

“I am.” Drifting in, the man sat down in an armchair, the house-elf popping up to set down a tea set before him on a small table. Waving his hand, he gave her a thin smile. “I am to live here without a wand, wearing,” moving his leg up slightly to show her what looked like an ankle monitor, “_ this- _ which would kill me instantly should I even step outside onto the terrace. And isn't that a shame? The view is _ stunning _ this time of year.”

Moving to sit stiffly by her shoes and bag, she narrowed her eyes. “And all for the price of killing thousands of innocent muggles. What a _ devastating _punishment.”

Giving her a smirk over his teacup, the wrinkled eyes crinkled up slightly to show he was amused, even as he studied her. “I like you. You have a fire that reminds me of myself or Albus when we were young.” 

Her nose scrunched up. “Jury’s still out for me, though you get points for not trying to kill me yet.”

“See? Fire!” The old man chuckled, shaking his head. “I’ve missed sarcasm.”

“And murdering people, probably.” She crossed her arms. “Why would Albus send me _here? _ What am I supposed to learn from a criminal- and one without a good taste in tea at that.” She scowled at the weak tea he was drinking, not even letting it steep.

With an amused smile, the man put the teabag back in and then leaned back in his chair. “I have a castle that’s seldom visited or thought about, which means safety and anonymity. The library here is one of the best in all of Europe, Mossy makes excellent teacakes, and… well, Albus said something about worries with a Dark Lord?”

Clenching her jaw, she stood, gathering her bag and boots. “I’m leaving.”

“Wait!” The man stood, looking a bit ruffled as he held out a hand with a frown. “Look, I know it’s not all great, and trust me, I’m living with the mistakes I’ve made, but I- I’ve been begging Albus to send someone other than the Aurors to share this place with, even if just for a little while…”

Lena looked back, frowning slightly. “Can’t you do that with the Aurors?”

The man flinched just slightly, looking away and covering up whatever bad emotions he was feeling with dry humor. "I would rather not. They're no fun at all, always acting like I'm the worst thing since Dragon Pox."

“The Aurors… why do they come here anyway?” She had a feeling building in her chest, really hoping it was wrong so she could just leave in peace. “It’s common knowledge you’re confined and it’s been too long to be still asking you to give up information…”

Pursing his lips, the man looked back to her tiredly. “Stay. There are more than the pick of rooms and I promise not to bother you if you don’t want me to.”

Mulling it over, really wanting to just lay down and cuddle with Riddle, she nodded.

Grindelwald smiled.

“But the first sign of creepy-old-man behavior and I’m taking my chances with the nearest town.” Her eyes narrowed again.

“Understood.” Still smiling, he led her to a wing of empty rooms.

Waiting until he left the area, she picked a room that sort of reminded her of what her room at Hogwarts looked like, setting aside her bag and boots before flopping back in the bed. “I need hugs.”

_ “And I am more than willing to give them.” _

Laying in a grassy field of flowers watching the clouds pass by half-heartedly as they both enjoyed the ability to just lay like this, their sides pressed together with her head on his shoulder, Riddle raised a finger to point at a cloud in the shape of a lizard. “That one looks like Ginny.”

“I thought you liked her?” Her lips still curved up though, admitting (if just to herself) that the girl was sort of like a lizard, as she’d read somewhere that certain species had bites that were particularly hard to get out of. And that sounded like her redhead.

“I do.”

Lena huffed a soft laugh. “You have a strange way of showing it.”

Eyes looking at her from the very corner of his vision, he then smirked and pointed at a cloud shaped like what she thought was a pig. “That one’s Terry.”

She laughed at that, turning so that she was facing his side, head tucked against his shoulder so she could take in the smell of parchment with a hint of leather that soothed something raw in her chest. 

They were silent for a long moment until she finally spoke up. “The fifth task… I didn’t show you the memory of what happened.”

“I know.”

“It was- it was horrible. The figure, the Guide, gave me the feeling of having reached that day in the stars with you and me and all of our family surrounding us- and then slowly they took away every single of my senses. Taste and smell first, then I couldn’t hear you or feel your presence and-” She felt the grief in her chest like it was only moments ago and not days, her hands curling tighter around where she was gripping at him like a lifeline. “And then I couldn’t see you anymore and everything but my mind was just gone…”

Fingers brushing her hair back gently, a warm hand came to rest on her back soothingly. “If that ever happens and you start to lose your senses, I’ll be there and there’s nothing that would ever make me leave your side.” Brushing away a tear she didn’t even know she’d shed, his dark eyes crinkled at the edges as he smiled slightly. “And we all know between Perenelle, Dumbledore, and Severus you’d be in good hands to figure out what went wrong.”

"There's no greater fear in me than the one that someday I'll have to live without you." Her voice was soft, the admission taking a lot out of her.

Riddle hummed. "Is this dedication you have to die by the hand of the version of me that's real and has a body somehow related to that fact? Because you could just marry them and make this all a whole lot easier."

Pulling back to look at him with a blank stare as if to ask if he was joking, she shook her head and snorted as she lifted herself onto her elbow. "I refuse to marry an insane idiot. If we're married in another life and you even _ think _ about splitting yourself into parts again, I'm immediately filing for divorce."

“Well... that’s one way of discouraging my bad habits and hitting my self-esteem all at once.” 

Smiling fondly, she reached over to pluck a nearby daffodil, tucking it behind his ear. “You’re not Voldemort, darling. You and the others are so much more than the shade of a person left behind.” 

Gently pulling her back into his arms, Riddle hummed under his breath. “You’ll never have to live without me. Not if you don’t want to.”

It took a day of cuddling and being smooshy with Riddle just for him to convince her to leave the room, finding Grindelwald in an empty dining hall with his chin in hand as he stared out the large open windows on one side of the room. Raising his eyes and seeming to brighten when he saw her, he waved to where a plate of food was set out to his side. “Ah! Would you like some breakfast? I thought that you might get hungry eventually.”

Sitting and flicking her wand over the food to make sure there was nothing wrong with it, she saw the way he raised his eyebrow, pursing her lips as she picked up a fork to stab one of the slices of ham on the plate. “Don’t give me that look. Albus might trust you with me, but he also knows that I am competent not to sign my trust over immediately.”

“Tricky customer.” But the man was smiling slightly, eyes lingering on her wand. “Yew?”

Lena nodded slightly, eyeing him as she ate.

“My wand was Yew, you know, and it worked like a dream. Yew, thirteen inches, with a dragon heartstring from a Chinese Fireball.” Then he tilted his head slightly to look at her as if seeing into her soul and then studying it carefully. “You’re a Farland, right? That’s what you go by? So then you’re Jackson’s child then?”

“You knew Jack?” Her eyebrows shot up, incredulous.

Grindelwald grinned toothily. “It's always good to know your opponents. Plus we had tea occasionally when he used to be in charge of making sure I was locked away. I respected him, as he was nicer than any of the Aurors these days- and he played a mean game of chess.”

“He was who raised me, but I’m not biologically his daughter. I was born of the Potter Line, though I consider both Jack and Severus Snape my fathers in their own right.”

Chuckling, the man took a sip of what looked like milky coffee. “I know. You have that new Dark Lord after you- the one with the French name that means ‘Flight of Death.’”

She scowled slightly. “Then why ask.”

“It encouraged conversation.” He looked at her appraisingly. “Albus told me that you’re coming back from the Temple of Elements, so I apologize if the art of conversation has been lost on you in that time, but half of small-talk is about asking questions you already know the answer to so the other person feels like they’re investing their time in you by answering. Plus, it’s best to confirm second-hand knowledge from the source.”

Taking a deep breath and letting it out as she started to cut up the eggs to eat them, she looked at him flatly. “I see now why no one wants to visit you.”

Pursing his lips, the man watched her for a moment longer and then put his hand back in his chin, staring outside.

_ “That was a low blow.” _

_ He was annoying me. _

_ “Still, he is in sort of the same situation as all of us memory shards were- stuck in one place with only memories and knowledge he already knows.” _

_ Maybe I only have room to rehabilitate one Dark Lord at a time. _

Riddle chuckled softly. _ “Dear, he’s already probably found every flaw with his past and doesn’t need help with that. He just needs company at this point.” _

Lena’s nose wrinkled slightly, taking a few more bites of food and a sip of the tea that appeared before her before she sighed. “I would be partial to a game of chess if you’re up for getting beaten.”

“Oh, that’s how it’s going to be?” The man looked back at her before grinning slowly and standing with his tea. “Because I might have some tricks up my sleeves yet, child.”

Humming and picking up her tea, she let her lips quirk up slightly as she followed him out. “We’ll see about that, old man. I learned from the best and I _never_ back down from a challenge.”

The silvery-grey eye and dark brown eye that glanced back at her were lined with a smile. “Yes, I hear that’s why you’re doomed to die to that new Dark Lord.”

_ “...kill him.” _

_ Mmmm. I think I’m starting to like his dry humor. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grindelwald: Criminal record?  
Grindelwald: The only crime I’ve committed is killing it on the dance floor hahaha  
Grindelwald:  
Grindelwald: Well no, actually. I have committed a few murders  
~  
Lena: *happens to mention marriage once (1)*  
The Locket, hyperventilating: But what would we wear and who would be the ring bearer? Would it be a traditional binding ceremony, because Nick and Perry would probably loan us the binds they used- you know, for good luck and all plus they're like your grandparents and oh should we get chocolate or vanilla cake? Maybe strawberry though because Blaise hates that, or-  
Lena: Riddle, honey, what the actual heck  
~  
^-^ I love them so much and no one can convince me that Albus doesn't have a whole underground society of Cool Old People TM


	48. Nurmengard Castle, Austria

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is... good.  
We love Bellatrix in this house  
(I have issues with redeeming characters I shouldn't, have you noticed?)

Gellert- as he’d insisted she call him- had neat white hair and a short beard that he must have trimmed himself as he never looked out of place and she was starting to come to have a fond appreciation for the simple but elegant suits he wore. (They’d already had a long conversation about the way that Dumbledore’s fashion sense drove them both insane sometimes, leaving their sides hurting for a while even after they’d stopped laughing.)

It was easy to forget who the man was, as it got easier to be around him, finding out that he liked to get up early so he could do yoga (which amused Riddle to no small extent), he loved word puzzles, and that he had the biggest sweet tooth a person could have.

When she couldn’t sleep they’d sit in the main room and look out the large windows with the doors letting the cool breeze in even if they both were bundled in blankets with hot chocolate.

He was easy to be around- she’d even caved the other day and asked for him to cut her hair to a fair length so it was easier to manage.

The night before Gellert had wanted some specific sweets from the nearby town and had given her some money to go get them in that town today. 

Not sure what was with him trying to get her out of the castle (as that was obviously what it was, what with Mossy able to go get whatever he wanted normally), she just went along with it for the sake of seeing the nearby town. 

It was a long walk, but she distracted herself by humming and talking out theories of the book she’d been reading about advanced elemental magic with Riddle.

Fumbling a few times to get the translation spell she’d made Gellert teach her working, she followed the directions he’d told her and found herself in front of a nice little bakery. Speaking in English and hoping it translated, she pointed at a few different sweet pastries that the man had wanted and then smiled sort of awkwardly. “How much?”

Luckily, what she said and what came out of her mouth seemed different- like the German language was different- and the man started to put the pastries in a box. He said something and she sort of heard it twice as if from a translator in her brain. “Thirty-five shillings.”

“Alright. One second.” Digging out the coins Gellert had given her, she parsed through them and found the right ones, setting them on the counter and giving the man a thin smile when he held out the box. “Thanks.”

When the man grunted slightly and then moved back into the store, she shook her head slightly, walking back to the main path so she could stare at the long walk ahead of her.

“I hate him. It’s official.”

_ “Why not apparate?” _

Lena gave a small smile at that, her voice a murmur. “I would say you’re a genius, but we both know that beginners shouldn’t try to go long distances like that without practice, even if I know all the theory.”

_ “So then practice. Think of a point just a bit down the path, then slightly further until you feel confident enough to apparate to the bridge.” _

Mulling this over, she sighed slightly and nodded. “If I ruin his pastries then I’ll have Mossy get new ones later.” Waiting until she was far enough from the town to be out of sight, she stopped and imagined one of the twists down the road not too far.

And how much she just really wanted to _be there. _

With a twist like she was being shoved to a new place, she looked around herself, checking she’d been able to keep all her fingers and limbs before grinning.

Then she appeared to the big twisted tree she knew was a bit further.

After that was the stream that had a bridge over it.

Then finally she was landing with only a bit of a stumble and a laugh at the stone bridge. With a glance at the pastries, snickering when she saw one of the cherry tarts had gotten twisted into a knot, she started up the path.

_ “You’re having too much fun with that- I’m not sure if I should be concerned or not.” _

Lena waved her hand. “Blaise, Theo, and Draco are probably begging Severus to teach them as we speak. Let me have my fun.” She went to push open the large wooden outer doors and then stilled, seeing it was already slightly open.

The same door she’d shut tight on her way out.

And as the wards were at the bridge, that meant that someone else was here.

“Mossy, can you be quiet?” Her voice was a whisper.

With a soft pop, the House Elf appeared, eyes wide even if she kept her voice soft. “Miss Farlands. Yous not supposed to be here.”

Nodding and shoving that aside for later when she’d lecture Grindelwald on how not to treat his guests, she pointed at the door. “Who’s here? Are they dangerous? How many of them are there?”

“Aurors. They’re probably not being dangerous to yous, but there’re three this time, one in the courtyard and two with the misters…” The elf’s eyes were wide, pleading. “Are you- are yous going to help the misters?”

Something low and dangerous settled in her chest, handing over the box of pastries. “Yes. Now go and _ quietly _put those in the kitchen, alright?” When the elf nodded and popped out quietly, she let her magic seep out across the stones of the courtyard like tiny snakes.

Picking up a presence by the front door sitting on one of the benches, she let her magic focus on him, pulling his voice into her hand and then restraining him to the chair tightly.

Pushing open the gate slowly, she moved to stand before where the man was trying to struggle to no avail, her nose wrinkling as she moved to lean over him with eyes that promised violence staring directly into his. “I am going to walk inside that castle and then hurt your friends for whatever they’re trying to do to Gellert, but I will be back for you, not to worry.”

Then she moved to pull her yew wand out of her boot, stunning the man easily and releasing her magic on him so that it could start scouting out the front of the house.

Her eyes, however, landed on where a black tattoo was peaking out of the man’s sleeve.

_ Death Eaters. _

_ “Lena… Perhaps it would be best to stay out of this.” _

_ They have Gellert. _

Before he could reprimand her, she was padding through the house quietly, magic searching for any signs of life.

As she rounded one of the corners, she paused, hearing a voice in the main room. “-but this time you’ll break, you mangy old bastard because this time there won’t _be _a next time. We’re going to break every bone in your pathetic old body and then let you bleed out if we have to.”

Clenching her jaw against the snarl of anger she wanted to give, she sent her snakes out to wrap around the men, fully strangling them in her magic as she pushed open the doors to the main room calmly. “Oh… sorry, did I interrupt something?”

One of the men choked out something that was probably a threat. 

“Nothing, then. _ Good._” With a sharp grin, she moved to kick one of the men into a nearby chair, tugging on her magic to push the other violently into the next chair that moved to meet him. “Mossy, please get the man from outside, he should probably be in on this too.”

There was a pop and the elf levitated the unconscious man to a third chair with ropes springing up to tie him down.

Then moving to where Gellert was standing slowly, she helped him into his favorite armchair with a concerned smile. “And here I thought you just really wanted pastries. How long have they been coming under the guise of Aurors?”

“For longer than you’ve been alive,” taking a moment to cough deeply into a handkerchief the man then gave her a small grimace, “though they were a bit more… subdued after you addled the brain of that man they call a Lord.”

“Funny.” Moving to grab his tea, she handed it to him gently. “Did they hurt you?”

Gellert waved her off slightly. “Scrapes and bruises, my dear girl, nothing to worry about now. Not when you obviously have plans for them.”

Looking back to where the two awake Death Eaters had stilled, she nodded slightly and then summoned a blanket from a nearby chair to lay over the old man’s legs. “No trying to die on me until after I get the information I want then, or I’ll tell Albus about how much sugar you eat.”

“You have a heart of ice, Miss Farland.” 

Tucking her wand into where her hair was pulled up, she moved to backhand the unconscious Death Eater sharply, smiling thinly when he woke up. “Ah. Good to see you all awake. Now, normally I would be so very kind as to just send you on your way and then make sure that none of you ever bothered Gellert again… but I’m none too happy about coming back to find that my friend was being threatened with death by three underlings of the man that’s trying to kill me.” Grabbing the tongue of the man she’d kicked in the chest that went to speak, she narrowed her eyes dangerously. “So. You’re going to tell me exactly why you are here or I will, as you suggested, start breaking bones.”

Letting go of the man’s tongue and grimacing as she wiped her fingers on his clothes, she froze when he spat at her _like a heathen. _

_ “I say… kill him.” _

_ Of course you would dear, you have no creativity when it comes to the people that disrespect me. _

_ “Fine then, kill him_ ** _creatively_**_.” _

Sniffing as she summoned a napkin to wipe her face, she looked at the man, unimpressed. “That was disgusting, though I would expect no less from the lackeys of a madman.” Her tone turned sweeter, a faint smile coming to her lips. “Now… how about you tell me what I want to know and I won’t have Mossy throw you off the bridge outside.”

Jaw clenching, the man looked straight ahead. “I won’t tell you nothing.”

“I think that means you’ll tell me everything, or are you just bad with your words?” She just smirked when he glared at her.

“You’re that girl- the- uh- what’s the bloody name?” The man in the middle with long ratty black hair made a face as he looked away. “That- uh-...”

Someone cleared their throat softly and she spun, her wand in hand, to see a woman in a fancy black dress with curly hair grinning at her, her hands raised in a sarcastic way to tell Lena she was unarmed. “That lot was supposed to get into the library.”

Eyes narrowing and magic moving to follow the woman as she danced around the room to lean on one of the chairs, she slowly put her wand away, assured that the woman was wrapped in her web of magic. “And why is that?”

“You’re Lena Farland, aren’t you?”

Hand clenching in irritation so that the burliest of the men started to choke, she narrowed her eyes on Bellatrix. “And _ why _does the Dark Lord want into the Library?”

“That Library is the greatest wealth of knowledge in all of Europe.” The woman smirked. “You can stop that, you know. I’m not going to hurt you and I’ll give you whatever answers you want without you having to even raise a finger, though I _ am _impressed by your magic.”

A bit thrown off by the compliment, she slowly let the magic go, crossing her arms. “And why would you do that?”

The woman smiled brightly. “You’re Cissa’s favorite little cousin and a best friend of my nephew, from what I hear. I wouldn’t _ dare _hurt you- not with the amount of backlash I’d be facing if I did.” The woman whistled with an amused smile. “I’m not about to piss anyone off.”

Lena blinked a bit, before reaching up to rub her temples. “All of that aside- Why have you been trying to get into Gellert’s Library? Can’t you go in already? I mean you’re in the castle already.”

“Lena, my dear girl, don’t you remember I told you anyone that doesn’t have permission will get fried alive?” Gellert’s smile was amused.

_ “Say WHAT now?” _ Riddle sounded as if his eye was twitching.

“You must have said it when I was half-asleep, old man, as I’m sure that I would have asked more about that _ minor issue _.” Rolling her eyes she studied the men still tied up then looked at the woman. “So the reason you don’t want to hurt me is because… Narcissa and Draco like me?”

The woman gave a half-shrug. “I’d get in a lot of trouble, trust me, it would _ not _be fun.”

_ Huh. _

_ “The Black Family is mad, for sure.” _

Lena didn’t exactly _trust _the woman, but as she was in her web of magic for the moment there was no real threat, thus she tilted her head curiously. “Can I see your Dark Mark for a moment?”

With a smile in her eyes, the woman moved forward slowly, pulling up her lacy black sleeve to show off a black mark of a skull and a snake.

_ “Ugly. And gaudy.” _

_ Agreed. _

_ “Why in Merlin’s name did I think blatantly marking my followers would be a good idea?” _

The woman held up a hand when she went to poke the mark with her wand. “If you do that he’ll be called. I didn’t think you want that, but go ahead if you choose...”

“Bella!” One of the men hissed, but they both ignored it.

_ “Well… that was probably one reason. I forgot about that.” _

_ Aren’t we both glad she stopped me then... Narcissa must be scarier than I thought. _

_ “Sure. That’s why.” _

Humming as she ignored Riddle, she put her wand behind her ear and then used her finger instead to study the markings of faint runic design around the edges, chuckling softly. “Brilliant. This is…” Shaking her head, Lena pulled back. “If I let you four leave peacefully and all in one piece, can I get your help in creating the anti-runes to keep Death Eaters out of this castle? I’m sure you understood that even if he’s not family, Gellert is my friend and friends with my grandfather as well, so I sort of have an obligation to keep him safe.”

The woman studied her for a long moment. “What’ve you got to trade me for it?”

Knowing that a deal was standard (she would have been suspicious if the woman didn’t want something), she held out a hand to show off an orb and tilted her head. “This is the big one’s voice. I can take the other’s voices and give them to you too if you want.”

“I want that cloak that Draco says you always wear… and can you make a crystal of just your magic?”

Lena nodded slowly, knowing both were valuable but not able to be used to track her- not if she cast a spell on the crystal after making it. “Deal.” Having expected more of a price when asking the woman to betray her Lord, Lena summoned the cloak to her and handed it over reluctantly with a slight hope it would at least be treated well by its new owner. Then pushing the regret from her mind, she turned to pull the other two men’s voices into her hand before also letting those go to the woman.

Concentrating, she let her magic pool into her hand and then slowly let it solidify into a crystal she then put an anti-tracking spell on silently.

Suddenly she was being pulled into a hug. “I’m glad to meet you, Lena. You know you can call me Auntie Bella, right?” Then releasing her and plucking the crystal out of her hand, the woman took out her wand, waving it to float the three bound men out of the door after her.

Gellert smiled at her from across the room, amused. “You have a way of picking them, don’t you?”

“I picked_ you_, didn’t I?” Then without letting him answer, she moved out of the castle after the woman she guessed was the ‘Bellatrix Lestrange’ Draco had told her a bit about.

Finding the woman at the edge of the bridge, she moved to kneel by the wardline that was carved into the stone, running her fingers across the patterns and smiling when it pulled up the visual representation of the magic so she could work with it. 

Bellatrix’s dark eyes watched her carefully as she summoned her notebook, starting to draw the separate runes she had seen in the Dark Mark, then using a few more pages to find the right opposites she needed in a language that Voldemort wouldn’t know how to break.

Settling on Croatian- as she’d only learned the basic runes of the language from Perenelle because the woman had insisted it was standard for any ‘good’ runes master to know- she started to use her magic to carve small addendums to the wards that wouldn’t compromise the overall amazing security, just basically putting a fine layer of sticky flypaper over what was already there to keep out anyone with the Dark Mark.

It took over an hour to find the right balance for the addendum so it wouldn’t compromise the older wards.

Sweating and sort of exhausted from all the magic she was using, she sat back and looked up at the woman. “Wanna try it out?”

“It’s- it’s done?” Stepping forward carefully to poke where the light of the ward started, her finger couldn’t go past and she grinned. “Wicked.”

“Mhmm. And a lot of work.” Releasing the three men from their binds, she stood and stretched. “Mossy, will you get the chairs back in the castle? I think I need to sit down after all that excitement.”

_ “I second that.” _

Turning and heading back to the castle, she sank into the chair across from Gellert. “What a day…”

Box of pastries in hand, he looked at her calmly. “They’ll come back.”

“I know they will- there’s no way that Voldy won’t give chase now that he knows where I am.” Lena moved to set her chin in her hand tiredly. She’d gotten another portkey from Albus a week ago, but neglected to use it as she had wanted more time just being able to talk with one of the many cool old men in her life.

Gellert smiled slightly. “Go. I’ll be alright here- especially with whatever fancy runes you did to cut them off, as it’ll probably prompt Albus to visit.”

She sniffed slightly. “I can’t leave inside wards that aren’t-” Pausing, she tilted her head. “Did Albus make the wards?” When he nodded she grinned, as Portkeys couldn’t be used inside wards unless the portkey was made of the same magic that the wards were.

With an amused smile, the man shook his head and waved at her. “Go, Lena.”

Reaching out to take and squeeze his hand gently, she then bounded up to her room, starting to pack everything away. Stopping once more down by where Gellert was now reading, she stole one of his pastries and then took out a fancy pen, pulling off the cap.

And with a swirl of magic, she was gone.

  
  


Tom was leaning back in his office chair listening to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata with his eyes closed against the cold ache he was trying to ignore in the hollow of his chest when someone burst into his office. Not opening his eyes, he curled his fingers into the arms of the chair. “You have half a minute to explain why you are in here or leave before I _ curse you _.”

“My Lord, I come bearing gifts from the trip to Nurmengard Castle.” 

Cracking open a single eye to peer at Bellatrix, his gaze landed on a black cloak and his other eye fell open as well in a glare. “A cloak. Of course you would bring me back a single _cloak _when I asked for either the library or Grindelwald’s head on a-”

She flipped the cloak around to show the inside and he felt his voice fail him.

Standing smoothly, he carefully reached out to draw the soft fabric into his hands, feeling the soft warmth of the latent magic it gave off. “That’s Lena’s cloak.” He looked at the woman sharply, knowing just how important this cloak was to his darling. “What have you done_? _”

“I joined the party late, as when I got there your girl already had the three idiots tied to chairs and was ready to snap their necks. She looked pretty upset, but I told her that Cissa would kill me if I hurt her and she seemed to reluctantly accept that. So I traded the voices of the other three idiots, a crystal of magic, and that cloak for their lives and she let me take them peacefully, even asking for me to test the wards she put up to keep people with the Dark Mark out.” Bella grinned as she spoke in that excited rapid-fire way of hers. “But we could get Cissa to-”

“She’s already gone and as you saw, Grindelwald is under her protection.” Tom frowned slightly down at the cloak before sighing slightly. 

_ Lena wouldn’t accept him trying to give it back until she understood he had no intention to hurt her… so what was the harm in him keeping it? _

“And these?” Three small gem-like orbs and a crystal of shifting color were held out to him.

Taking them in his hand, if just to feel the brush of Lena’s bright magic against his skin, he hummed softly. Then he handed back the three orbs. “Break the orbs and it’ll undo the magic. We both know Rodolphus and MacNair are nothing without their voice.”

The woman snickered softly, nodding. “Will do!” Then she skipped out, thankfully remembering to close the door behind her.

Tom stared at the crystal in his hand, smooth on the sides but pointed at the top and he pressed his thumb to the top. He watched, fascinated, as it cut his finger open and his blood started to trickle down the sides of the crystal that seemed to vibrate in his hand as if the magic was aching to be let out- either to consume the blood or to heal him.

Humming and letting his magic heal the cut, he set the bloody crystal gently on his desk, having no desire to clean it off.

_ He was going to find his own damn house somewhere remote this summer- for his sanity’s sake… and in case Lena wished to spend time wrapped in his arms when she got back from this inane trip of hers. _

Settling the cloak around his shoulders and felt a small smirk curl his lips when it reached just under the curve of his knees for a long moment before rippling to fit his height. Sitting down, he then thought for a moment and pulled out a parchment to start a letter to Gringotts.

_ Perhaps it would be better to look for a nice small house away from everything sooner rather than later. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So someone asked me to give y'all an updated picture of what Lena looks like all grown up and... I really want this story to be for anyone to imagine what they want for the characters (my own version of characters are pretty fluid and the only real specifications for Lena are green eyes and black hair)  
But.  
I also spent a ridiculous amount of time going through the internet to find some type of image that sort of fits the developed character of Lena I have in my mind so I decided to share- though if you want to keep your own mental image that's 100% okay.  
One picture of Lena --> https://i.pinimg.com/564x/2d/bc/57/2dbc579b51abda85a25923a40dc28617.jpg  
(though her eyes are much greener than in the image)


	49. Unnamed Island Outside Greece

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been distracted- but here's a chapter!  
I wonder where Albus sent her this time?

Lena found herself in a large courtyard with the sun beaming down on her, but even as she instantly scanned her surroundings for anyone in sight, she was alone. Still having one of Gellert’s pastries in hand, she sighed and studied the area further, not knowing what to do.

Towering statues lined the courtyard, and she noticed that before the statues were food and objects that looked like offerings.

Moving around and studying the intricate stonework of the statues, she found a statue with little to no offerings at its base. It was a statue of a very stern man with a sword and shield that triggered a memory in the back of her brain, kneeling to mutter a soft ‘oh’ when she saw the Grecian runes around the base of the statue.

“You must be Ares then, huh? The so-called God of War and Bloodshed...” Breaking the pastry in half, she set it on the base of the statue before standing again and brushing herself off. Looking at the statue, she gave in to the urge to reach out, place her hand over the stone one holding the sword. “And when the bigger wars end I would bet you become the God of those fighting the battles of their own everyday lives.”

The statue didn’t respond and she didn’t expect it to. 

Letting her hand fall, she looked at the other half of the pastry and then around the courtyard that was missing a statue.

And yet…

“Of course.” Her lips quirked up when they landed on the small fire burning in the center of the courtyard that didn’t give off any heat. Gently tossing the other half of the pastry in, she watched as the fire grew in size for a moment before going back to flickering softly. “Hestia, Goddess of children like me, who had to find their own homes.”

“You see them then.” Stepping from the front of the courtyard, a woman with dark skin like the night sky in loose white draped robes moved to stand a bit away from her, hands clasped behind her with a smile. “It’s not every day we get visitors that see our temple as anything but pretty decoration, leaving objects or trinkets but never truly speaking to their patrons.”

Lena raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the statue of Aphrodite and where a phallic object was placed at the base of the Goddess's feet. “You mean to tell me that they don’t like getting obscene objects from random strangers that don’t understand love can be more than physical?” Her voice was dry. “Color me surprised.”

The woman laughed softly, a hearty and ringing sound that echoed around the temple. “Even though the woman that left that object here got a bit of… unusual luck on the island, no matter how many times we try to move it, it always shows back up. I believe the Goddess finds the same humor in it that you do.”

Lips curling up, she glanced at the statue, feeling as if it was just more right to address the stone than the woman in front of her. “Good for her.”

“I am the Oracle of the Main Temple, though most just call me Phoebe.” The woman held out a hand that was sort of to the side of where she stood and she then noticed that her eyes were not fixed on an exact point. “Welcome, traveler, to the Island of Hellena and the final resting place of the gods from the so-called ‘Greek’ pantheon.”

Making her steps clear and slow, she clasped the woman’s hand gently. “Nice to meet you, Phoebe. Please, call me Lena.”

Squeezing her hand, the woman moved slowly to reach up and run her fingers along the planes of her face gently. “I felt you were young, but I have not seen one so young be chosen by Ares in… many years.” Then resting on her shoulder, the woman’s eyebrows pulled down slightly. “Lena, as is tradition on our lands that if one such as you passed through the temple and is lucky enough to have one or more of the Gods lay claim to you, I help them find if their place.”

“And… what does that mean?” She scrunched her nose up at the word 'claim'.

“It means that you are invited to their temple during your stay, and their energy will try to guide you as best they can. In your case, though the strongest two watching over you are Hestia and Ares, Apollo takes an interest in you, as well as Hades.” The woman’s lips quirked up as the fire flickered higher. “They are fighting over you, though in the end, it is ultimately your place to choose.”

_ “I wouldn’t expect anything less than four gods to be fighting over you.” _

_ You’re such a sap. _

Moving her hand up to gently touch the locket before pulling away quickly, the Oracle hummed. “The one you carry- he is under the banner of Ares, Aphrodite, Persephone, and Athena, though the Goddess of Love claims him most strongly as hers.”

_ See? Even Aphrodite agrees with me about you being a sap. _

_ “She’s probably just seeing how wonderful and loving our life as a married couple will be~” _

Rolling her eyes, Lena focused back on Phoebe. “Since we’re both associated with Ares, we’ll stay with that temple for our time here.”

Phoebe smiled slightly, pulling her hands back and starting to turn away. “An interesting choice, but I am sure you will do great things there. Follow me.” 

_ “Perhaps you should have chosen one of the others, dear. I can’t imagine you’d want to live in a temple full of witless oafs that carry sharp sticks because they can.” _

_ I understand you want to protect me, but insulting the people of the island when there are powers you don’t understand at play probably isn’t a great idea, love. Plus, **we ** are both under his patronage and do not act like that. _

Smiling slightly when he huffed, she followed the Oracle out of the stone halls that felt like the Temple of Elements in a way, if not slightly different in the magic lingering in the air. The Temple's steps led down to a large green area of connected paths with large stone temples winding down the hill the main temple laid at the top of, with a small city at the base of the mountain.

The woman led her down past many large stately temples with large open spaces, her eyes following the people that moved around, breathing in deeply when they moved past a temple that smelled like freshly baked bread. “Is that-”

“Demeter’s temple.” Phoebe smiled and kept walking. “We’re a community and though some of the temples aren’t able to do as much, we try to all help each other and the gods, who in turn help us.”

“What does the temple of Ares do?”

Stopping with a sad smile and waving to the front of a temple that seemed to be carved into the mountain, it’s pillars crawling with vines and the stone seeming to have turned a greenish color over time, the Oracle looked at her with distant eyes. “Once the place of our protectors, it has become a home for survivors with the advancements in secrecy our island has gotten over the years- a home for those trying to forget the wars they’ve seen.”

“I see.” Shouldering her bag a little more, she smiled and started up the mossy path.

The woman’s voice followed her. “If you chose to change your mind, you know where to find me.”

She didn’t even glance back. “I won’t, but thank you.”

The bright sun got dimmer as she realized that the actual temple was in the shade, though she sort of thought that was a good thing when she got inside the temple and found the stone cooled off her skin that she suspected had started to burn slightly from the long walk over as she was unused to this much sun.

“Hello?”

There was a loud curse and she paused as a man with a metal leg that had sigils and runes carved into it walked sort of lopsidedly out to stare at her. “You’re in the wrong temple, girl. Leave before Hanna-”

“Who is it!” A woman she swore was built like a mountain, moved on otherwise silent feet to stare at her, eyes narrowing. “Who are you, kid?”

Lena was still slightly thrown off by the scars crisscrossing the woman’s massive arms, blinking slightly. “I’m Lena. The Oracle said that this is Ares’ temple?” 

The woman’s eyes narrowed, hands bigger than her skull coming together to crack her knuckles purposefully even as Lena stayed perfectly still and let her magic surround the area in preparation for a fight. “You better get out of here before I lay your scrawny ass out before drag it back to that damned Aphrodite temple, pretty little _ princess'_ . Because this is the last time-”

“Calm down, Hanna.” A woman with close-cropped blonde hair and what looked like Celtic tattoos across her biceps moved to throw an arm around her tensed shoulders. “This one’s telling the truth. She picked us over Apollo too- must be one smart cookie.”

The ‘Hanna’ woman crossed her arms that were like steel cables. “Ares knows not to lay claim to those that aren’t his.”

“I was born in a war and I’m fated to end another, not to mention the times I’ve been put into the position of fighting battles for others.” Shrugging off the arm the blonde woman had around her shoulders, as the touch was just _slightly_ uncomfortable, she scowled. “Survivors do not always have to carry weapons to have blood on their hands. Now if someone would tell me where to put my bag down, I would appreciate it- it's been a long day.”

“...follow me.” The man with the metal leg and dark scruffy beard gave a pointed look to both the women before waving at her as he started to limp deeper into the temple.

They passed a few rooms that were starting to mold and didn’t look too great- one with armor and weapons lying around- before entering a room with a bunch of mesh hammocks. A woman with long tightly coiled dark hair and hawk-like eyes was wrapping a bandage around a man’s wound on an old-looking cot in one of the corners. “Who’s the kid?”

“My name is Lena.” Setting her pack down in a hammock that didn’t have anything around it, she looked at them studying. “What happened to him?”

The man grunted softly and the woman scoffed. “He went to offer to help Artemis temple with their hunting and when they laughed at him, he decided to get into a fight with the whole temple.”

Moving to pull the simple pack of healing ingredients that she’d started gathering during her time at the Temple of the Elements, adding more when she had Mossy able to go get things for her, she kneeled by the cot. “What’s the actual injury?”

“Dumbass disease.” The blonde woman snorted from the doorway, arms crossed.

Sending a sharp glare past her, the hawk-eyed woman looked at her. “He was stabbed. Are you a healer?”

Lena snorted softly. “Not yet, but I am a potions master and that’s good enough to know that just wrapping a stab wound- especially in that bandage will get him infected.” The woman let her take over and she unwrapped the wound, pursing her lips at the blood. Casting a sterilizing spell over the wound, ignoring the man’s hiss, she put on a pair of surgical gloves and then started to mix a mushy salve from the different ingredients. Doing her best for what she had, she finally got it to the right consistency and then looked at the large woman that had come to watch along with another man she hadn’t seen yet. “Hold him down.”

Moving to press the man down, restraining his arms, she smeared the salve into the wound.

Thrashing and yelling, the man sounded as if he was cursing in a language she didn’t know for a moment before she could understand a few words of English mixed in. “What in the &$#$& I thought she was a %#%& potions master! Couldn’t she #%@#% make it hurt less?”

“No, she did well.” The new man that she now noticed was carrying a few jars of herbs she recognized nodded to her. “Better than what I would have done.”

“Stay still.” Casting a sanitation spell over the bandages, she then wrapped the wound firmly. “That should help heal the major damage by nightfall as long as you rest, but I'll re-wrap the bandages and clean the wound before you go to sleep and in the morning.”

The man with the thick natural hair finally turned to look at her, eyes widening slightly, even as he nodded.

Cleaning up her materials and vanishing the gloves, she folded the ingredients away and then stored them in her bag again, taking out the woven blanket that she’d ‘borrowed’ from Nurmengard (as Gellert wasn’t likely to miss it). “Wake me up when the sun starts to set.” 

“Uh- sure.”

Then climbing in the mesh hammock and curling in the blanket that kept her at the ideal temperature for sleep, she sunk back into her mindscape.

Riddle was laying out on a few cushions he’d pushed together in a large room that looked like the Inner Temple of Void, smiling at her. “I assume that you already have a plan to fix up the Ares temple?” When she pursed her lips and moved to get some of the cushions to push next to his, he smiled wider. “Aw, darling, you look like you need a hug.”

“I’ve had a long day.” Taking a deep breath as she lay down, she let him turn her around so he could curl around her back with his arms wrapping around her waist. “But yes… I have a plan.”

She could feel his smile against her hair where his face was buried. “I thought so.”

“You know me so well, dear.” Her breathing slowed as she closed her eyes and curled their fingers together when he wrapped his arm around her waist. “It’s like you’re in my mind or something.”

He huffed softly against her hair, nosing at her slightly. “Sleep, Lena.”

Trusting him to hold her, she did exactly that.

A hand gently tapped her shoulder and when she jolted awake, unused to being in contact with anyone for so long, she found the woman with the sharp eyes had stepped back. “Julius was an idiot and removed the bandage.”

Reaching up to rub at her eyes, she then sat up on the hammock, eyes finding where the man was sitting on the cot with his arms folded. 

“It’s mostly healed. And Kadir made me take some gunky potion too! I’m fine!” 

“You’re an _ idiot- _that's what you are.” The woman with the short hair that was lazily swinging in a hammock rolled her eyes. “That was a potion to make sure you don’t get infected, not bleed to death.”

Riddle snorted softly. _ “I can’t wait to see how you plan to make these people useful.” _

_ Everyone has more than one thing they’re good at, my dear. If they didn’t I wouldn’t be able to heal this man. _

Gently moving from the hammock, she conjured a stool and moved to sit in front of the man- Julius- batting his hands away and studied the wound that was a little raw but better than it had been. “I’m going to have to re-wrap it at least.” She pulled her wand from her boot to clean the wound carefully, summoning a roll of gauze. “Does this happen often, one of you getting into trouble with the other temples?” 

“They don’t like us much.” Hanna, who was leaning against a wall with her massive arms crossed, frowned at her. “Ares isn’t as respected now as he used to be.”

Lena nodded, her voice flat. “That’s because there’s nothing left to respect.”

The large woman bristled, but a soft chuckle from an older man in the corner of the room seemed to make the others still. The man was missing an eye, and though he was wearing crooked glasses that only had one piece of glass in them, she could tell he was sort of the unspoken ‘elder’ of the group. “She sees.”

“What does she see?” The woman with sharp eyes studied her. “Disrespect for the God she is living in the temple of? Broken people that she can insult without consequence?”

Snorting, she made sure the bandage was secure. “Ares has no use for warriors anymore, and I would guess that those go to Athena or Artemis anyway, so he takes what’s left in hopes he can help. The survivors. Those that have war in their blood and yet, those that are trying their best to learn how to be something other than a weapon.” Lena looked around the group, eyes landing on the older man. “You're used to combat, right? What did you do- fight on the frontline?”

Lips pulling up, he spoke slowly, as if unused to English. “I am a… how to say…”

“Tactician. He commanded the Egyptian Auror force for 20 years.” The medic smiled grimly at the man and they spoke a few words back and forth in what sounded like Arabic. “He knows and remembers things like no other, chosen by Ares as the Head of the Temple when he sought refuge here.”

“Why not offer to translate texts for Athena’s temple?”

Trading a few words, the old man smiled at her with crooked teeth and then spoke something.

The man acting as a translator looked at her. “He said that he thinks you will be good for us.” Then she was offered a hand. “His name is Tahmid and I’m Kamir, a battlefield medic.”

Taking the hand, she smiled slightly. “Lena Farland.”

“You’re a potions master- would you help me learn? I have asked those at the temple of Apollo but they refuse, saying I have no skill.”

She raised an eyebrow at that. “Can you memorize things?” When he nodded she moved to her bag to draw out the worn journal Jack had given her and that she’d filled with notes. “This might be a good place to start then.”

“What, are you going to give us all tasks to do that’ll make us accepted _magically_ by the others?” The woman with the sharp eyes scowled. 

Lena tilted her head. “Isn’t that better than sitting around a crumbling temple and doing nothing? You say you’re more than fighters but that’s all I see right now. Why haven’t you tried to help in the forges if you’re strong enough or learned how to cook if you’re good with knives- hell you could even pick up sewing if you have steady hands!”

The woman with the close-cropped hair nodded. “She’s right. I used to be a wiz at building things before I went into the corps. I wonder if Athena’s people would take me.”

Chuckling, the man with the metal leg grinned. “I could work with metal runes- got pretty good at it too if my walking says anything.”

“Yeah, it shows more than a little bit, Monty.” With a huffed laugh, the man she’d been treating looked at her with tired eyes. “What about me, wonder girl? What’ve you got for a benched Auror with a bit of a rash streak?”

She studied him and then smiled slightly. “I bet you’d make a killing as an actor. A face like that and maybe re-learning how to smile- the girls from Aphrodite would be all over you.”

There was a huff from ‘Hanna’, who was still looking like a disapproving stone statue, looking at Tahmid. “She is trying to ruin Ares’ name! To rent us all out to the other temples and let this place crumble into dust!”

“Yes.” Tahmid smiled at her. “Ares, like I... we are tired old men. We both know there will be a time to find a new host, even as he is waiting for all of his survivors to be made new again.”

The group was silent for a moment and she moved to sit in her hammock. “I’m not trying to be cruel or to push you out of your home, but when I stood before that statue with no offerings… If I was Ares, I would be tired too, having to be something I’m not and go against my nature because it’s what is right.” Her voice was a whisper. “This island doesn’t need a God of war and violence anymore.”

“You speak of this as if you know such a thing for certain.”

“I know,” her eyes were tired when she looked at the woman with the sharp eyes, “because I’m in the same roll as him. Something wild that would usually open rip someone’s throat before I let them hurt me or the people I love, made to run away and slowly accepting they have to die for the greater good.”

This made each of the people in the group shift slightly, seeming to all absorb that.

The temple was lit with the orange glow of the sunset, a tear leaking from the corner of her eye and she wondered for a moment just how _young_ she looked.

Because she felt like it had been ages since she was a child- if she'd ever been one, to begin with.

“Let me do this." Her voice was soft with emotion, almost pleading. "...if just to prove to myself that endings can be beautiful instead of terrifying.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ares isn't a favorite Greek God of mine, but I thought that she'd pick the band of misfits instead of being pushed into a place where the rules are already established...  
And I mean, come on, we get some quality angst!  
^-^ please don't kill me... *Mango says, ducking behind an overturned table to hide from the rotten tomatoes*


	50. Hellena Island, Aegean Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my Birthday! So here!   
It's a gift to all you lovelies, have a chapter!

Hanna, the woman that had biceps the size of her head who had been a hit wizard in her last life, left the temple the next day to work in the court that Zeus's temple ran as a bailiff.

Kadir just waved it off as he told Lena that the woman had her own issues and that was left at that.

The woman with the hawk-like eyes (who Monty had told her was named ‘Kira’) stayed only a day longer before transferring to the Artemis Temple easily, to which Julius _ (who was the man that had been stabbed while trying to harass said temple)  _ pouted over for a long while.

She watched them leave silently, not about to argue if it fit her plans.

Air thick with a sort of earthy plant-based scent that reminded her of the way the Healer from the Temple of Elements always smelled like eucalyptus, she paused outside the doorway of the Apollo Temple- which was a length of silk- and then knocked on the doorframe softly. "Hello?"

"Hello."

Lena startled, magic rising in defense as she spun around as she hadn't expected anyone to come _from _ _ behind her. _ Looking over the younger fellow with golden curly hair and a wide grin beneath freckles that looked like constellations, she forced herself to relax. "I came to ask about how the temple determines talent. If I can prove myself a worthy teacher for Kadir then-"

"You're that little elementalist that got Ares out of his throne, yeah?” The man tilted his head with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Man that was a big surprise, Ares standing up and laying claim to you- it even shocked Hera- though she was pretty mad when she had to be the one to break up Hestia and Ares from yelling at each other. What kind of chaos do you bring, little elementalist, if you have the God of War seconds away from outright fighting the normally peaceful Goddess of the Home?” 

She paused, looking at him a bit more, her magic tingling the closer it got as if the air around him was electrified.

_ Riddle, darling? _

There was no response.

He just stared at her, his smile now gone and she was reminded that the Greek Pantheon was known for its mercurial Gods.

“Lord Apollo.” She bowed lowly for a long moment before standing and instinctively clasping her hands behind her back so she could let her magic pool into her hands in case she needed to defend herself. “If I may ask… where am I?”

“Temporarily between the planes that normally separate the world of mortals and men. A plane that humans cannot venture into, yet you were able to walk right into it- I just had to spin you a doorway.”

Lena hid her discomfort well. “What are you saying?”

“I am  _ saying _ , little elementalist,” the man’s tone was sticky sweet as if teasing even as he started to circle her like a predator eyeing its prey, “something about you has ascended. You're not fully human anymore.”

Her blood was ice, not daring to move an inch.

Apollo stood before her, eyes burning gold like the sun, his lips tilting into a smile again. “But no matter, we’ll figure you out eventually. Now go, pretend as if nothing happened- I’d hate to have to send someone to destroy that soul container you wear...”

Her hand moved to cover the locket, narrowing her eyes-

But when she blinked, the god was gone.

“What can I do for you?”

Spinning around with wide eyes, she looked at a man with long dreadlocks and intelligent brown eyes, breathing out slightly when he just raised an eyebrow. “I- I was wondering what the test is to qualify as a potions expert, as I wish to take it so that when I teach Kadir of Ares everything I know, he may transfer to your temple.”

A voice drifted into her ear as if a whisper in the wind, a soft taunt.  _ ‘And how do you know I will allow the medic into my temple?’ _

“Miss?”

_ “Lena, darling?” _

Twitching, she blinked at the man. “Sorry, I spaced out, can you repeat that for me?”

_ Sorry, love, I’m just a bit tired. I’m fine. _

_ “...if you say so.” _

With a glance over her face, the man then led her into the temple, explaining how the temple worked and then setting her up at a station with the instructions to make something no one else had made before her.

Lena worked quickly, still feeling as if eyes were staring at her.

And when she stepped back into the silence of the Ares Temple, relaxing at the weight that seemed to disappear off her shoulders, she sighed in relief. 

_ “What’s bothering you? And please don’t say it’s nothing, I know you better than that darling.” _

_ It seems… that the Gods of this island are far more active than either of us thought. At least I will not have to go back to the Apollo temple- that god, in my opinion, is far too unpredictable for my tastes. _

Riddle pulsed with discomfort.  _ “Be careful please, love… I don’t like this.” _

She nodded silently in agreement though she smiled excitedly when she got to the buck room, giving Kadir the good news.

And if her smile tilted up into something real and amused when Julius cheered and jumped on Sam’s back, the woman and him ending up wrestling on the floor much to Monty’s amusement and Kadir’s worry, then that was because she was relieved for too many things to verbalize.

“Do you always do this?” Sam- the American Auror with the short blonde hair- sat down next to her on the cold stone steps of the temple. “Weigh your importance to people by how much you can do for them?”

Lena looked over, a slight frown curling her lips. “That’s not-”

“We would have warmed up to you eventually even if you hadn’t come in making battle plans and helping Julius fix himself up.”

“Even Kira and Hanna?” The bitter words showed her hand a bit but they came out before she could stop them.

Sam smiled a bit sheepishly. “Well, maybe not them, but they both have their own issues and-”

“Not everyone has to like me. I know.” Her gaze drifted to where she’d been watching the sun’s gaze creep over the hill behind her, bathing the island slowly in warm gold light. “I think it’s just… easier to accept me this way.”

With a snort, the woman bumped her shoulder against Lena’s. “You know, you don’t have to make yourself easier to accept for other people. Either they’ll accept you or they don’t.” She didn’t respond, but the woman didn’t seem to mind all that much. “Tahmid went out the other day and got some eggs from the main temple because Phoebe likes his jokes, so we’re cooking when you want some food- if you’re hungry.”

With just a wave of her hand, she shook her head. “I said I’d go down to Demeter and help them bake for a while.” The temple leader, who was good friends with Phoebe, promised her some fresh bread and food for the others if she helped out and she’d agreed easily.

Sam just started to walk away. “You’re a strange kid, but whatever floats your boat I guess.”

With a gentle brush against her mental barrier, Riddle spoke up softly.  _ “Are you alright, love? You seem oddly melancholy this morning.” _

Lena swallowed the lump in her throat, running a hand through her hair as she shook her head. Standing, she pushed herself up and stretched with a small yawn escaping her lips. Her voice was a soft mutter as she started to pad down the steps. “Just wondering what other trouble I can get into around this place.” 

_ “I am sure that you will find more than enough of that- you always seem to attract trouble as it is.” _ Riddle’s smile lingered in his voice for a moment before he brushed against her mind again.  _ “But really- what’s bothering you?” _

_ Apollo. He said something and it-… I’ve been overthinking it. _

She knew that Riddle would be nodding. He knew her like the back of his hand.  _ “And what was that, love? What could he have said that would upset you so much you didn’t even come to cuddle before you fell into sleep?” _

There was that feeling of eyes again and her back instinctively straightened her spine and wiped her face of emotion. 

_ Later, dear. I have an audience. _

He didn’t speak up, but there was a tenseness from his side, obviously watching everything just as closely as she was. 

However, they made it the Demeter temple without any visits from powerful and meddling gods, so she counted it as a win.  As she expected, the mindless task of helping to bake helped her to relax considerably- palms kneading out the thick dough of bread, hands constantly moving as she basked in the sunlight streaming into the large open kitchen the temple had.

Though when she looked up, she froze.  The busy area with people moving around and going in and out of the doors was now empty, an older woman with dark hair coiled up into what looked like a crown gazing at her with a soft smile. “Hello, Lena.”

“Lady Demeter?” She wiped her hands and then bowed hastily.

“Just Demeter. I do not need titles.” Then the woman nodded her head to the space next to her. “The same applies to you too, Tom Riddle.”

Her eyes widened at seeing the slightly taller frame of Riddle standing by her, the boy looking at his hands before grinning crookedly and sweeping into a low bow. “Demeter. It’s a pleasure.”

"Riddle?"

"Hello, dear." Reaching out tentatively, his eyes sparkled as he wound his fingers with hers, and with a sudden movement, she was pulled forward into his arms. She could hear the gratitude in his voice when he spoke up again. "Thank you, Demeter. There is nothing more I could have asked for."

The Goddess hummed and when Lena turned her head to rest on Riddle's shoulder, she was smiling fondly. "You remind me of my daughter and her husband too much for me to willingly separate you as Apollo did- I have long learned my lesson over separating love like that. Not to mention that I thought you could use it, what with how you've both attracted the attention of my family."

This made Lena scowl. 

Riddle seemed to sense her mood as he ran a hand over her hair soothingly. 

"I don't want their attention." She said this in a grumble, feeling the need to grouse at the mirth in the woman's smile. "They should spy on Tahmid instead- I swear that old man's a dragon in disguise, he seems to always have exactly what I need before I even ask for it and it's verging on scary."

Demeter laughed, a bright sound that matched the sunlit room. “I will keep that in mind.”

Then as if a bubble popping, the Goddess and Riddle were both gone, the kitchen bustling with noise again.

_ “She didn’t even give me a warning.”  _ Riddle pouted.

_ I’ll find a place to lay down later, dearest heart. I’m sure that there will be time yet to hold me in your arms, as it’s only mid-September if my calculations are correct. _

_ “I wonder if Hera would approve? She is the Goddess of Weddings and… we could always ask her to officiate something small on the island…” _

Shaking her head, she finished kneading the dough she had been working with, nodding to the Head of the Temple before starting to walk back towards her temple. “You’re stuck on that, aren’t you? Don’t you think an actual binding from a Goddess might make it a bit hard for me when it comes time for me to destroy you?”

_ “...you make a valid point.” _

Her smile was small. “How about this- if you still want to and depending on where we are, we can do a muggle officiation around Yule, as then it’s on paper but without magical side effects?”

The locket was warm, Riddle’s voice fond.  _ “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Does that mean you’re saying yes to my hand in marriage?” _

“I guess I am.” Her smile was sappier than she would have liked anyone to see. “Should I start calling you my fiancé then or are we jumping right to husband?”

The locket seemed to stutter.

_ “Why is my heart racing- I don’t even have a heart- am I having a heart attack? How dare you spring that on me- you know I am a creature of emotionless control, this is an affront to my nature! Why am I smiling like this? Are you doing this? What did you do! Lena? Lena?!” _

Her laugh echoed in the summer air, unrestrained and bright.

The mindscape seemed to reflect the Inner Temple from the Temple of the Elements this time and she sighed as she moved to lay down in the pit of pillows, tired from the day she’d had. 

Monty had the idea of trading the forgotten weapons and unused scrap around the temple to the Hephaestus temple in turn for an apprenticeship, Lena having helped him and Sam wheel loads of metal to the gleaming temple. The man with the metal leg had given them both big hugs, having decided he was going to stay sleeping in the Ares temple as long as the others were, but in all but name he was pretty much transferred to the other temple.

_ At least Hephaestus had left her alone. _

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, she then turned her head to the side.  Something was wrong.

_ Where was her darling? _

“Riddle?” Pushing herself up on her elbows, she looked around the mindscape, eyebrows furrowing. She thought for sure he’d have laid across her like a limpet as soon as she got within grabbing distance… but instead, he was nowhere to be seen.

Wondering when he’d left her mind- she’d been a bit distracted for most of the evening, she closed her eyes and reached out to the locket.

“Lena?”

Opening her eyes to the Locket’s mindscape, she blinked slightly at what looked like a dark abandoned building, looking around to spot Riddle sitting in a chair at the end of the room. “There you are. I was wondering where you were- what, did you get bored of having clean sunlit surroundings?”

With a scowl, Riddle looked away from her but it was weak. “I-… I was rather uninterested in how hard it could be to lug around a bunch of scrap metal.”

“Okay?” The glance she sent him, she knew, was quizzical as she scanned the room they were in. Eyes landing on a stain that looked to be from blood, she hummed. “I can go if you want. I was going to take a nap for a bit so I might not stay here- I’m partial to the thought of sleeping in a somewhat clean environment even if I know it’s a mindscape...”

The older boy just hummed and waved a hand at her. “As you wish.”

A bit confused, she shook her head and then turned to leave.

“Lena?”

She looked back, tilting her head. “Yes, dear?”

“Are you just agreeing to marry me because I’m being overbearing about it or do you actually want to do such a thing?” Riddle looked as if there he didn’t care about her answer, though she saw the tightness of his jaw.

“Darling, marriage might not hold the same weight to me as it does to you as Jack always told me that he and his wife didn’t get married until they’d been living together for years... But if I had anything against the idea I would tell you.” Her lips curved up just slightly and she put her hands on her hips. “I tell you everything anyway, do you think I would lie if I was uncomfortable about this?”

He’d crossed the small room in a moment, pulling her into his arms as if trying to engulf her in his frame. “I’m never going to let you go.”

“Good.” She held onto him just as tightly. “I don’t want you to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all doing alright! Sleeping and drinking water and staying inside (unless you're essential and then I'm so proud of you and thankful for your existence) and all that sick jazz.  
Love y'all!  
~  
Lena: Can I call you husband?  
Tom: *clutching his chest*   
Tom: I think I'm having a heart attack  
Lena:  
Tom:  
Lena:  
Tom: Do it again


	51. Temple of Ares, Hellena Island

Unsurprisingly, it was fairly easy to get Julius to fit right in at the Dionysus temple as the young handsome man he was. What she didn’t expect was for Sam to have to drag her out of the place yelling and threatening the mob when they tried to ‘adopt’ her too, the woman and her laughing softly as they walked back to the temple in the cool night.

“I guess he’s not coming back?”

Sam shook her head and chuckled, running her hand through her hair, the Celtic tattoo around her forearm rippling slightly. “No- I bet he’ll be pretty busy there. I heard that everyone in that place has to learn how to make wine as well as being able to drink a whole bottle in one sitting.”

Lena smiled mirthfully. “They’ll take good care of him.”

“I bet you that wicked knife you have in your bag,” the woman started as if knowing about her temple-mates’ possessions was normal, “that he’ll break something because of some stupid stunt by the end of the week.”

“No bet.” She grinned. “As I’m coming to believe you were right.”

The woman raised an eyebrow, questioning

“He’s most  _ definitely  _ infected with the near-fatal dumbass disease.”

Sam’s hyena crackle split the warm night air, slapping her back with a gusto that had her stumbling a bit. “Gods- I  _ knew  _ I liked you for a reason, kid.”

The temple was almost empty, as the Apollo temple had reluctantly accepted Kadir as a quick learner, Sam and Tahmid having built good relations with the scribes of Athena’s temple over the last couple of days.

Lena just found herself helping wherever she could as well as exploring. 

She went down to Aphrodite’s temple at Phoebe's request and helped them make soap-  _ and even though she found her face flushed red at some of the things she overheard she didn’t ask and just kept her head down _ \- spent lunch at Hera’s temple watching one of the woman’s kids, stopped by the Demeter temple to help out in the kitchen... Lena just liked to help.

She liked to feel as if, for a while, she could belong here (even if she knew she didn’t).

And slowly, it seemed that the gods came to understand that.

Aphrodite had been nice, if somewhat pouty when Lena politely refused to ‘make out with her beloved’ (Riddle had joined her in pouting too, the  _ traitor _ ), and the goddess had finally settled on teaching Lena how to line her eyes with black makeup that were pointed like tiny knives. She appreciated the way they make her eyes even sharper, even if she had cursed like a sailor upon getting some in her eye, Riddle dying of laughter in the background.

Hera had been stern and seemed to be stuck in a permanent glare when she looked at Tom, but her eyes had softened around Lena, telling her all about different divorce options. Lena had to remind the Goddess that she and Riddle weren’t married yet and that she had no plans to divorce him anyway- which had gotten a grin from Riddle, though it turned into a scowl when the woman just looked at her seriously and said  _ ‘you might love him now… but forever is a long time.’ _

Hermes had just smiled and then dragged her into talking about warding magic, Hestia sitting by a fire with her and Riddle calmly, Artemis teaching her the proper stance to use a bow and arrow while simultaneously apologizing for her brother.

Persephone and Hades greeted her and Riddle with excitement and kindness (and the biggest Cerberus she'd ever seen). She gushed with Hades over the dog as they played fetch, Persephone and Riddle seeming to get into a small fit over something in the background, but eventually, she got Persephone to braid flowers into her hair. Though this ended up with Riddle and Hades whispering about things, catching a few words like 'marriage', 'chariot', and 'kidnap' before Persephone sent them both an impressive glare and shut them both up.

The rest of her time not spent talking to gods, helping people, and being amused at how much Hera’s doubt in their continued relationship had bothered Riddle- she explored Ares’ temple.

Kadir got accepted into the Apollo temple and they had a big party, Sam and Monty bothering Julius until he showed up with a gourd of wine. 

And while the four partied, Tahmid moved to stand next to her with a thin smile (and she thankfully had a good enough memory to flick up a translation charm). “You realize that when I leave, you will be Ares’ priestess?”

“I understand.”

The older man reached over to clasp her hand in his wrinkled one, eyes serious. “Then come with me.”

Standing up and following him, he took a series of steps she’d not seen before, leading her through the halls that got darker the further they walked. Her magic was on the verge of getting agitated when they came to a doorway.

Looking at her with a small smile, the man nodded. “Go in. Do what you must. I will have the others leave when the night comes to it’s full.”

“Wait-” She took his arm before he could leave her, shifting her weight nervously. “Do you think this is a good idea? I know what I said to the others… but do you really think that  _ I  _ am the person to retire a god?”

Tahmid just smiled. “Yes.” He leaned forward, tapping a finger to her sternum. “I am of many gods, though I left behind the Egyptian Pantheon for this one because of my daughter and her husband. So listen to me when I say that you hold Anubis in you, just as you do Hades. You are the  _ best  _ one to retire Ares.”

The way he’d said that made her pause.

_ ‘Something about you has ascended. You're not fully human anymore.’ _

_ ‘Forever is a long time.’  _

_ ‘You hold Anubis in you, just as you do Hades.’ _

Lena shook her head, pushed those thoughts away as coincidence, and then stepped through the doorway. 

Immediately all other thought was lost as she stared out at the massive room that was more like a cavern than anything. 

The inside of the mountain seemed to be hollowed out, the rock she was standing on extending like a cliff that dropped off to open air and the drop seemed to go down for ages. On the opposite side of the massive cavern, there was a big crack and moonlight streamed in, shining down on a small dying sapling of a maple tree.

“Ares.” The name was a bare breath.

“Merry met, Lena Farland.” 

Looking back as she wasn’t startled anymore when it came to the gods just appearing around her, she paused when she took in the form that was essentially a set of golden armor. The plumed Corinthian helmet had no face underneath, just darkness, and she knew that as fearsome as he looked, he was weakened. 

Lena studied the God of War. “Pleasure.” She noticed that Riddle wasn’t around, assuming he wasn’t privy to this conversation and shifting her weight slightly. “You knew that this was where fate was leading us- that is why you fought for me, didn’t you?”

“If you are asking if you are worthy to be chosen as a warrior, you doubt yourself needlessly. Even if the control you have over your magic was not a weapon to be feared, there is the steel of a survivor yet.”

“There isn’t- not really.” Her voice was soft, letting her masks and walls fall given they were alone- two broken weapons trying not to cut the people around them on their shards. “I’ve only been living because people need me to. Should no-one need me… A survivor doesn’t plan their death, Ares- I’m not- I’m only setting one foot in front of another because I have the noose of a promise leading me before I can let myself hang.”

Moving in front of her, a golden gauntlet cupped her cheek. “Oh, child.”

Her body shook with a sob, nodding, feeling her grief pouring out all at once as she leaned into the god that was a mirror of her own heart. “I’m… I’m sorry. I- I’m not-... I’m not what you asked for.” Her forehead rested against the gold armor, tears streaking the gloss. “I’m no hero.”

“You don’t have to be.”

Her fingers clutched at the god, straining with words she couldn’t get past the lump in her throat.

Metal fingers ran over her hair. “Many of the greatest warriors in history have not been the ones that spread bloodshed and war, they are the ones that knew pain so intimately that they decided no one else would suffer around them if they could do something about it.” Ares’ voice was rough, sounding like the clash of weapons and the grating breath of a dying soldier, but his words were kind. “So let that promise be a hand that you chose to let guide you instead of hanging you and keep fighting, child. There is no shame in helping others as long as you realize that you deserve to be happy just as much as they do.”

“‘S hard.”

“Of course it is. Nothing good ever came easily... but I believe in you.”

Lena stayed there with Ares until her tears dried on her cheeks until the lump faded and she was able to stand on her own.

The empty armor let her go, watching as she composed herself. “You want me to kill you... Are you sure?”

“Tahmid was right. I grow weary.” Ares moved jerkily, passing by her to kneel by the small sapling. “Athena has power over strategic war and this new world is not one to have wars of utter bloodshed for the sake of spilling blood anymore. Warriors are healers, strategists, artists, and lovers as well- things that they do not need me for.”

Her heart ached. “You could do something else.” Her voice was soft. “Just like your chosen people, you too could become something new as well.”

There was a soft sigh like a breath of air. “Us of the pantheons are the minor gods, left to govern the aspects of the physical world while the primordial forces of the universe work around us. So while I will surely find rebirth in the hands of Death, I, like the humans, will need to die first.”

“How do I…” Her hands shook slightly, a wet laugh escaping her. “I, admittedly, have never killed a god before.”

Ares laughed, a rough grating sound that felt like victory coursing through her bones, and metal gauntlets closed around her hands softly. “You worry too much, Lena. Like many before you, you let the world rest on your shoulders too much... Just do what feels right. I trust you.”

That more than anything had her eyes stinging, hands shaking as she reached them out, though she paused just before they touched the sapling.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Ares’ voice was soft, mournful. “And I’m sorry that I had to ask this of you.”

Swallowing a thousand other things that she wanted to say, to apologize for, to ask, to beg him to do- Lena reached forward and dug her hands into the soft brown dirt. When she pulled her hands up while cupping them, as if uprooting the tree, they came away easily as the dying sapling turned to ash under her fingers. 

The golden armor glinted out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned her head, it was gone.

Ares was gone.

Looking down at her hands and opening her fingers to let the ash fall through them, she saw that there was a small seed under the old material, slipping it into her pocket with a silent promise.

But that could wait for later.

Collecting her magic into her hands, she made a small crystal of it in her hand, digging into the dirt and setting the crystal down before covering it up again. Ash and dirt would do something with it and with time, another would take Ares’ place.

Lena stood, taking a deep breath, before moving towards the door.

“Where do you intend to plant that seed if not here?”

Lena looked back, eyes lingering on the woman with long hair like night and eyes that were completely white. “I intend to plant it over the grave of a warrior so that it might grow into something beautiful. Ares was right. This place does not need another God of War- reborn or not.”

The woman who seemed to have two ghostly shades of a younger and older woman to her sides raised an eyebrow and the shades did the same. “Then who will this temple be hosted by? Who will guard the pit?”

“You will.” Her smile was soft. “You are Hekate, Goddess of Magic, are you not? You can take any magical blood and we both know this temple is big enough for the community you will have... or are you refusing the position?”

“Will you be my priestess?”

She just nodded, knowing that as much as it felt betrayal to Ares, that he would want this for her. “Of course. Now I’d imagine we have quite the amount of work to do in cleaning up, don’t we?”

As she stepped out into the hall, away from the heart of the mountain, she felt a wave of magic run through the walls, torches appearing, and the grime disappearing to make way for smooth white stone.

_ Well, maybe there would be less cleaning than she thought. _

Riddle came back to her when she was sweeping out the main rooms, her eyes seeing glimpses of Hekate’s three sides wandering around the temple, magic dancing as it fixed pillars and started to line the rooms with bright witchlights.

_ “Is that…” _

_ Hekate, Goddess of Magic. She has taken the temple under the mountain as her own and from there, her presence and continued worship will help the island to bloom even further than it has. _

Riddle was silent for a long moment.  _ “I am sorry, darling. It cannot have been easy, letting Ares go.” _

Stilling in her sweeping and leaning on the broom, she closed her eyes. “I’m… I’m not okay.” The admission was hoarse, hard to get out, but she had to say it. “But I will be. We’re together and we have the world ahead of us. I’ll be alright.”

The words were more pleading than confident, but he seemed to ignore that for the sake of her pride, just shushing her softly.  _ “It’s okay to not be okay for a little while, love. You’re doing so well and I will never fault you for being human, not when you have been so strong for so long.” _

“You always know what to say.” Her smile was soft. “So good to me, my dear.”

His laugh was soft, fond.  _ “You deserve to be treated as if you are precious because, to me, you are.” _

Despite the wetness of her cheeks, she was smiling as she finished sweeping.

Out with the old, in with the new.

The first person Hekate chose was a young woman with a tired smile and a split lip. Her first words upon entering the temple with a muggle backpacking bag on her shoulders were: “I’m not sure why I’m here. I don’t have any magic- I’m a squib.”

Lena set her book to the side on the table that Sam had made from scrap metal as a ‘housewarming gift’, rising from the worn leather sofa the Dionysus temple had dragged over to the temple in turn for her help with enchanting a mask for one of their plays. “Magic is not in your blood.” She pressed a fist to the woman’s chest. “It’s in here.”

“I... I want to help”

Smiling, Lena just took the woman’s hand, leading her down the winding passages of the temple. “Come with me. I have just the thing for you to help with.” When the woman was left at the doorway, stepping through into the veil between the gods and men, Lena turned away and went to get her bags ready.

Hekate met her at the doorway to the temple, her forms all flickering somewhere between solid and not. “You plan to leave.”

“Just like Ares, I have outlived my time here.”

The Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone watched her with pale white eyes. “When Demeter spoke of you and your fated, it was not to Persephone that you reminded her of. Your fated is the one that personifies rebirth, not you.”

She nodded. “I know. Tahmid explained as much to me.”

The goddess dipped her heads, watching her leave.

Phoebe met her at the main temple after she’d taken the time to go through the different temples and say goodbye to her different friends, promising to letter them if she ever needed anything. The woman held out a hand, letting Lena guide her to the courtyard with the statues. 

They both stopped before the newest statue, one of gleaming white stone- a woman with three faces and a crescent moon crown with a staff in her hands, the end burned with undying green greek fire.

“The Goddess of Crossroads, Doorways, and Magic.” Phoebe’s smile was crooked. “Yes, I think that you chose well.”

“I do hope so. Even if Ares could not protect this island, she will, in his place.” Her fingers pulled out a letter, tracing the outline of the seedling for just a moment. “I’m going to ask a favor of you. When I leave, please send this letter to Albus Dumbledore. It carries the instructions for Ares’s spirit to be planted over the grave of a warrior, as I know they will both find peace that way.”

Taking the letter gently, the woman reached out and placed a glass vial containing a piece of paper in her hands. “You will be alright, Lena. Eventually, those steps will not feel so hard.”

_ “Wise words.” _

Smiling, she nodded. “Goodbye, Phoebe. And give my partings to the gods, won’t you?”

For a moment the island air seemed to sing with warmth and voices wishing her goodbye, but then her fingers pulled the cork from the vial, the portkey taking her away from the island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tom:   
Hera:   
Tom: So-  
Hera: If he breathes, he's a thot  
Lena: *head in her hands* Why is my life like this  
~  
Persephone: *glaring at Tom* Hades is King of the Underworld   
Tom: *glaring back* Yeah? Well, Lena's the youngest Potions Master of our age!  
Persephone: Hades helped fight off the Titans, is the judge of dead souls, and he's my husband!  
Tom: Lena got her Runes Mastery at eleven, fought against a manticore during the Triwizard Tournament when she was fourteen, and- and we're going to have an actual wedding instead of eloping!  
*both start bickering*  
(Meanwhile)  
Lena: *smiling* Aww is this Cerberus? He's so cute!  
Hades: *beaming back at her* Yup! Wanna play fetch with him? He's really sweet?  
Lena: Yes of course I do!!  
~  
Lena? Yes, please.  
Lena breaking down about how she doesn't feel good enough? Oh HECK yeah.  
Ares comforting her while Lena's crying, speaking such words of wisdom? GIVE ME MORE  
Lena implying that Ares reminds her of Jack and that they're going to find peace together? I'M VIBRATING WITH THE AMOUNT OF YES


	52. New Jersey, United States of America

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fully blame Ryuu and Amythesica for this chapter and the chapters to come  
^-^ If you give a Mango an idea... I'll run with it- and no you can't have it back, this is /my/ idea now, suckers!

Shivering slightly against the wind, she looked around her at the long grey road up the hill and the dead grass surrounding her. A bit down the road was a cheery white house with expertly trimmed bushes and not a chip on its paint, but as she looked up the road… sitting on the hill overlooking the city below her was a massive grey house with wooden siding that looked almost to be decaying even if the windows were alight with a soft almost orangeish glow. Though that didn’t change the fact it looked like something belonging to a coven of witches.

Lena took a moment to set her bag down and draw out a long coat she shrugged on over her loose wrap, as the weather was definitely not what it had been in the Mediterranean. 

_ Shame. And I was really looking forward to more sun. _

_ “I am sure that that run-down house is not where Albus would send you- he must be out of his mind. What does the letter for him say?” _ Riddle sounded almost offended at the notion she might be slightly inconvenienced.

Lips curving up slightly, she put her bag back over her shoulder and then pulled the note out of the vial that had been her portkey. It expanded into a small scroll and she raised an eyebrow as she unrolled it.

_ My dear girl, _

_ If you are reading this, then you have decided to move on from the isle and Phoebe gave you the portkey for my Alternate Plan, as the dear friend who I had wanted you to stay with is still out of the country traveling in places not suitable for any young person.  _

_ As it stands, the man whose family you are going to visit is distantly related to Jack, as well as being close to the friend I had wanted you to stay with. I may not have the pleasure of meeting him more than once, but I have no doubt that you will be safe and protected from everything outside the house (though watch out for that inside). _

_ When my dear friend does return to the states, he will have been alerted to your presence and shall come to pick you up to stay with him.  _

_ And in case the portkey is not fully accurate, as their house is surrounded with quite old and wild magic, your destination is the historic-looking mansion on top the hill next to the graveyard. _

_ I do hope that you are doing well and have no doubt you are charming all that you meet,  _

_ Albus _

Riddle snorted.  _ “Historic-looking. Doesn’t he mean ‘looking like it’s held together by termites, tape, and magic?’” _

“I’m sure it’s a lovely house. I just wish he would use names instead of ‘my friend’ or ‘the man.’” Lena pursed her lips as she re-read the message. “Though I suppose then it would be harder to trace if the Dark Lord got his hands on it.”

A splat of water landed on the paper and she rolled it back up quickly as she looked up at the sky that was dark with roiling clouds. Shrinking it back into the vial, she threw up a shield spell as she tucked the vial into her pockets and started up the winding dirt road.

The rain beat down on her and her shield only could do so much when it seemed to be blowing almost sideways, her growl frustrated.

_ “Your frustration with something you cannot control is not helping the storm.”  _ Riddle seemed almost to send a pulse of soft warmth her way as if hugging her mental barriers and that image made her smile slightly despite herself. _"_ _ Breathe, dearest. If you cannot control your situation, try to change how you react to it, and perhaps that will help.”  _

Lena nodded, taking a deep breath before then breathing out so the wind seemed to slow around her as if she was the eye of a hurricane moving slowly up the path.

_ “To me, you will always be able to do anything- there are none I believe in more, not even myself.”  _ Riddle’s voice was just a murmur, though his voice changed as if he was smiling.  _ “And some have called me a narcissist, so that must be quite a lot.” _

“Sap.” Her teasing was soft, smiling his chuckles and then transfiguring her sandals into boots so that she wouldn’t have to worry about the mud. Her voice was soft, a mere whisper in the cacophony of rain and thunder. “We are in this together so we must believe in each other- I could not have done many of the things I have if not for my slow but near consuming trust in your guidance.”

His breath out was soft, seeming lost for words for a moment.  _ “I-... I will be there for you as long as you ask me to be.” _

"Then I will have to learn to ask for you to stay, as I have no intention of letting you leave me- even upon my dying breath."

_ “Nor I intend to leave you, my love.” _

Her smile was small as she reached up to trace the emeralds lining the locket. "You're still a sap."

Riddle chuckled softly. _"Oh, woe is me."_

Lena smiled, walking closer to the wrought iron gate the path led to, but as she stepped closer it seemed to swing open itself.

_ “Perhaps that is a sign this is a good time to turn around.” _

When she just looked at the gate, studying it for spells, it seemed to groan on its hinges as if bidding her to enter.

Blinking slightly, she dipped her head and then stepped in. “Thank you?” When it groaned again before shutting, lightning cracking across the sky, she hummed and continued up the path. “I’m sure it' s fine. Perhaps the gate acts as a guardian of their house like the statues do of Hogwarts.”

_ “...statues?” _

Lena ran the side of her nail along the seam on the locket, her smile amused. “I see someone was too busy taking over Slytherin by force to really dig into Slytherin’s library...” Laughing lightly at his silence, sure he was pouting, she shook her head. “I’m teasing, dear, I know that you had much more on your plate than I did. The statues in Hogwarts are made to respond to any of the professors if an outside force was to threaten the school.”

_ “How... curious. I will have to remember that.” _

Humming, she passed a very stylish and expensive-looking car, moving onto the porch of the house before dispelling her shield. Cleaning the mud from her shoes before letting them turn back into sandals, she took the metal door knocker and hit it against the door three times.

There was a moment where she had stepped back and was looking out at the graveyard of massive stone statues beside the house, the door then creaking open.

A towering man that sort of reminded her of Frankenstein's monster from the old movies she used to sneak into was standing in the door. Lena didn’t allow herself to stare, nor tilt her head quizzically, as being pale and unnaturally tall was surely not the man’s fault, just smiling thinly. “Hello. Albus Dumbledore gave me a portkey here, as I am to be-”

Grunting, the man stepped aside and then gave her a look as if to say ‘come in’.

“Oh. Thank you.” Stepping in and looking around the large foyer, half her attention was given to the door closing behind her, even as her eyes landed on a woman in a long form-fitting dress that seemed to glide down the steps. 

“You must be the horror of an orphan that my husband's distant cousin adopted.” 

The woman’s almost fond tone was all that kept Lena from being offended at that comment, even if she stood a little straighter. “I'm Lena Farland, ma’am, and I was sent here by Albus Dumbledore.”

With an ever so faint smile, the woman inclined her head slightly before holding out a hand with long glossy red nails. “A pleasure... I am Morticia Addams.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Madam Addams.” Giving into custom, she took the hand and bent to kiss the air above the woman’s pale hand, their skin in almost startling contrast- like honey that had been spilled over parchment. Straightening again, she saw that the woman seemed delighted by her formality, dipping slightly in a curtsy (though she wasn’t sure how as the black dress she was wearing seemed to fit like a second skin).

“As you seem to have a horrendous sense of timing, most of the house is empty at the moment, as the children are currently at Ilvermorny until Samhain break and Fester is on an outing with Dementia… but come, we will sit in the lounge and enjoy this dark stormy night.”

Lena got the faint idea that all things bad were good to this woman, so she let the woman lead her by their clasped hands- feeling a bit like a child- and smiled faintly. “Your house is quite terrifyingly beautiful if I may say so, though I feared it would fall over upon first glance.”

This got a pleased smile from the woman, red lips like blood against her deathly pale skin and deep black hair. _(Lena wondered, faintly, if she’d been the inspiration for Snow White.)_ “Charming, isn’t it?” 

“It feels as if it has been lived in.” Looking around, she found she wasn’t actually lying. Her hand reached out, brushing against the walls, touching the magic and feeling it reach back as if a set of fingertips meeting hers in passing. “It’s… nice. The orphanage always felt like a mausoleum, oppressive and cold, but there’s warmth here. A place of family, not of strangers.”

_ “It is still a mausoleum, no matter who dies in it, darling.” _

_ I am merely admiring their aesthetics, my dear, not saying that I wish to have them in whatever home we make for ourselves in the life after this one. _

Riddle was silent and she wondered if he had another of his freak-outs, but before she could press him, Morticia was waving her to a sofa. “And what is it that brings you here to our doorstep, soaked to the bone and in what looks to be a…  _ toga _ ?”

The amount of animosity the woman had for her clothing seemed to be off the charts. Daphne would be impressed.

Deciding to gingerly side-step that, she pulled her coat around her a little tighter and then decided to just tell the shortened version of the truth. “I am currently running from an insane Dark Lord who I am the soulmate of, but who has sunk into madness that inspires him to want my head mounted on his wall.” Looking at her hands for a moment, she looked up at the woman with a grimace. “I am prophesied to die at his hand, but I promised my-... my father that I would not give in to fate until I turned seventeen.”

“How astute of your father. If my Wednesday wanted to die at the hands of a lover, I would have her wait until she was seventeen as well. Prophesied death is quite an intimate experience for such a young woman and one should be old enough to fully appreciate such a rite of passage.” Morticia seemed a bit starry-eyed (which was  _ not  _ the reaction she was expecting), sighing almost wistfully. “I still remember the days that Gomez hunted me so viciously… quite romantic, no?”

“Terrifying is the word I would use.” Lena tilted her head. “Or perhaps tragic.”

Morticia nodded solemnly. “How wonderful that you were sent to us then. If a Dark Lord hunts you, then I am sure you will fit right in.”

_ “I think I understand now. That barmy Goat sent you to a nuthouse.” _

Before she could even think a response to Riddle, the set of doors behind Morticia burst open, and something was being thrown at her as a man leapt into the room. “En garde!”

She reacted instinctively- standing and batting the object  _ (a fencing sword?) _ to the side with a sharp whip of magic directed by her hand before clenching her fist around the air as her magic flew out to ensnare the man in its net, his movement stuttering to a halt after a moment. He wiggled slightly, even managing to get another step towards her with a manic look in his eyes, but her magic tightened further in warning. 

“Lena, I would like you to meet my husband, Gomez Addams.” Morticia stood, seeming unfazed if not impressed with her display of magic to control her husband, giving her a small half-smile. “He has a hobby of surprising guests with spontaneous duels.”

Lena slowly let the man go, watching warily as he stumbled and then shook his legs out like an overenthusiastic labrador in a pinstripe suit. “I apologize, Mr. Addams. I reacted instinctively to what I perceived as a threat.”

“Marvelous!” The man didn’t seem to be offended in the slightest, but inexplicably pleased by her surprise use of magic against him. “A dirty play indeed- quite ruthless! I commend you, Miss Lena, for your technique!” 

Morticia looked at her with sparkling black eyes. “Ruthless indeed. I must have to have you show me that trick.”

Nodding faintly, still a bit shaken by the whole encounter, she felt something tug on her jacket and stepped back hastily when she just noticed a small boy had appeared from seemingly nowhere and was trying to grab her locket. “No no- that is not for children.” Her hand came up to cover the locket, eyebrows furrowing slightly at the pale child that seemed to already have a thin mustache. “It is liable to possess you and I do not think your parents would like that.”

“Oh, how delightful! Is it an enslaved demon? Or haunted? Cursed, maybe?” Gomez moved behind his son (they looked scarily similar), eyeing her locket in interest.

_ “What are you going to say to that? They don’t seem to dislike dark magic… in fact I would say they are steeped in dark magicks older than Hogwarts.”  _ Riddle hummed.  _ “I would not be surprised if their family is just as old as the Blacks- a backbone of the American Wizarding community.” _

_ I guess… I’ll tell them the truth then. _

Lena looked at the three, voice steady even if she didn’t feel it. “It holds part of the Dark Lord’s consciousness. He split himself into pieces and this is the last one I have not destroyed. He is my constant companion and my most trusted confidant.”

Gomez smiled brilliantly as he held a hand out to Morticia, kissing each of his wife’s fingers lovingly before looking back to her as he pulled her into his arms. “Ah, young love. I can see why Morticia and Pubert have taken such a liking to you- how wonderful to have such a traveled young witch as our guest!”

Mouthing the name ‘Pubert’ to herself as she looked back down at the boy that looked about six or seven, his black soulless eyes staring at her as he clutched at her long jacket, she gave him a crooked smile. “Hello, then. I’m Lena.”

“Shiney.”

“No no, this is mine.” Then reaching up and pulling out the pin keeping her long hair wound up, she handed it to him. “Try this. It’s made from scrap metal on the island of Hellena, from the temple of Hephestus. Though it is quite sharp, so-”

The little boy took it, poking his finger and then waving it at his father with a screeching war cry when it drew blood from his little finger. In an instant Gomez had a rapier in hand, laughing and blocking the boy’s lunges as they danced out of the room.

_ “With every moment you stay in this house, I get more concerned about your continued survival.” _

_ ...I’m sure I will be fine as long as you’re with me. _

Morticia stepped forward, taking her attention. “Come, I’ll show you to the guest room until we can set something a little more permanent up.”

Following the woman through the large house, the light dimming as they descended into the basement, Morticia then waving her into a dimly lit room that had a cot and television. There were candles on the side table and the door was iron with bars on a small window.

_ “No. No, you are not going in that cell. No way.” _

_ Too late. _

Looking at the woman, she smiled thinly and stepped into the room, setting her bag down on the cot. “My thanks. I might rest now, as I have had a long day, but I would love to meet the rest of your family in the morning.”

“As you wish.” Shutting the door, there was the sound of a bolt sliding home. “Scream if you need anything.”

Lena just hummed and then moved to hang her jacket on a rusty nail, changing from the wet wrap into pajamas that fit the chill a bit better, laying down and sinking into her mindscape.

Riddle looked up at her from where he was sitting with his back against the headboard of her bed, her mindscape reflecting her room at Hogwarts, and he motioned at her to come forward as he set a book to the side. “You look positively exhausted, darling… come lay down with me.”

Moving over to climb on the bed, she peered at him, sitting back on her feet. “But you’re not laying down. Also- you’re wearing shoes on my bed? You heathen, how dare you.”

He raised an eyebrow and toed off his shoes over the side of the bed so they fell to the floor, moving so he was laying down with an amused look in his eyes. “This is your mind, darling. You know you could just change such things.”

“Then you would get in the habit of doing things just to make me undo them.” Shuffling forward, she laid down so she was tucked into his side, resting her head down on his chest. “I would like you to know now that I might just have to stab you if you wear shoes in bed after we get married, as I would rather  _ avoid  _ harming you.”

His arms wrapped around her tightly, squeezing for just a moment. “I have the urge to crush you in my arms as if to enfold you into the hollows of my chest when you speak so softly and kindly, as every word you speak I want to hear like this- where your voice reverberates through my bones and your breath is against my skin...” Long fingers brushed back her hair ever so gently. “Does that scare you?”

“No.” Looking up, chin resting on his shoulder, she smiled softly. “I wish some days I could have taken your consciousness shards into my mind and body fully, shared every word, every breath, every thought with you, as I can imagine no greater pain than being without you.”

Tilting his head up, Riddle pressed a kiss to the space between her eyebrows before leaning back again with a sad sort of smile in his eyes. “I dare not even imagine it.”

Lena wrapped her arms around him, holding just as securely as he was her. “Then don’t. I have no plans to let go of you for tonight.”

“Nor do I, love, nor do I...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lena: Do you have the time?  
Tom: For you, my dear? I would always make time for you. My time is precious but you are more so. You are a shining pearl in the sea of mediocrity. I would do anything for you.  
Lena, fondly amused: No, like what time is it?  
((This is the basically them and I'm constantly crying because I love them both so frkn much))  
~  
More of the Addams Family in the next chapter- but if you all have specific things you want to see I'd be happy to take suggestions!  
I hope you're all doing well and staying as healthy and safe as you can be!   
Love you all! - <3 Mango


	53. Westfield, New Jersey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends!  
I thought that I'd get this up sooner rather than later because of the overwhelming support and sheer enthusiasm you all had for Lena visiting the Addams Family!  
Enjoy!

Waking to organ music, Lena gave a half-hearted sigh that turned into a yawn as she reached up to rub her eyes sleepily.

“Well, she has good tonsils. If she doesn’t work out I could always sell them.” 

_ “ _ _ Excuse _ _ me?” _

Jolting up, her magic conjuring a curved dagger to her hand as she backed up against the cold stone wall, she peered at where an old woman that was standing next to Morticia in the door. The beautiful woman from the day before that she thought Daphne and Ginny would just adore smiled faintly at the older woman. “Now now, mother. Lena is family and we do not sell family member's body parts.”

The grandmother (?) nodded as if chided, before grinning to show off gap-filled teeth. “We use them in potions!”

“Quite right, Maman.” 

_ “How dare they!” _ Riddle sounded like an offended suburban mom (a thought that she kept to herself as he’d pitch a fit about it). _ “If they even try to touch you, you should gut them!” _

There was a crash from upstairs, the house shaking. 

A bit of dust rained from the ceiling nearby. 

Morticia looked up with a small frown. “Will you please remind Uncle Fester and Aunt Dementia that there are no using blasting caps before dinner? They’ll wake Aristotle and then he’ll get water everywhere- or steal all of the fish eggs.”

“Not the fish eggs!” The woman scurried out hastily, waving a spoon. “Oh, I’ll whack that damned eight-legged squid to hell and back if he steals my fish eggs, slippery little...” Her creaky voice drifted off, lost to the winding hallways.

Lena slowly lowered the knife, even if she didn’t let it disappear yet. “Who is playing the organ? And if I may ask, what time is it here?”

Morticia smiled pleasantly, seeming to already have taken to Lena, even if she thought that made the woman weirder than anything else. “Lurch is practicing for when Dementia and Fester get married. As for the time, I believe it is almost breakfast time. If you bring your things, Thing and Grandma helped to set you up with a bed in Wednesday’s room, as she will surely be _ miserable _at having a roommate her age!”

The woman then floated out.

Lena blinked before letting the conjured dagger disappear, climbing out of the bed and grabbing her bag, hurrying after the woman. She was in a bit of a state, with her eyeliner probably smudged and hair in a messy bun with her pajamas still on, but they’d gotten her up this early so she didn’t care. They could deal with it. “Excuse me-” Picking up her pace slightly so she could walk next to Morticia- _ the woman walked at the speed of a balloon letting out air and yet still looked elegant- _ Lena furrowed her eyebrows slightly. “If my presence would make this ‘Wednesday’ so uncomfortable, I could stay in the room down-”

“The dungeons?” Morticia looked at her, eyes suddenly studying. “Why? Are you allergic to the sun? Or maybe you need the mold?”

Gomez suddenly seemed to pop up like a mustached shadow, hands wrapping around Morticia and she would have looked away if not for the slightly sad look he sent her. “Oh, and Wednesday was looking forward to showing you the new collection she’s been working on.”

_ “Perhaps this girl will be saner than her family?” _

“She just lettered a week ago saying she’d found a wonderfully mysterious vial of blood under the floorboard in that abandoned part of Ilvermorny- said it might even be haunted!”

Riddle, she imagined, was rubbing his temples. _ “My hope for humanity is almost out and it’s not even breakfast.” _

Smiling faintly at Gomez and Morticia, she wet her lips. “And though I will be interested to see whatever she wishes to show me, I have no wish to impose on her space.”

“Impose?” Gomez laughed at that, pressing a kiss to his wife’s knuckles lovingly before clapping a hand on her shoulder and steering her down the hall to a kitchen. “Not in the slightest! It will be good for both of you! Strengthen your survival skills, sharpen your claws!”

Morticia smiled at her as she slipped past to open a cupboard and draw out a few plates. “All the better to ensnare that Dark Lord of yours, I assure you. Claws are incredibly useful in inflicting just the right amount of pain without getting too messy.”

“Oh, _ Tish… _ ” Gomez moved to his wife, voice in a _ tone _ that had her looking away, glad she did when they started murmuring things and the man seemed to be kissing the woman as if his life depended on it. (Maybe it did.)

Lena, however, was staying away from touching that with a ten-foot pole.

_ “Well.” _ Riddle’s voice was a grin. _ “I have to admit, I wouldn’t mind your nails digging into my back when-” _

_ I will drop you down the Grand Canyon if you finish that sentence. _

Ignoring Riddle’s chuckles and looking up at the elderly lady that was grinning at her knowingly, ignoring the heat to her face as she grabbed a plate, she moved over. “What’s for breakfast?” She looked at the pot of what looked like oatmeal… but was… _ red _.

“Bloodmeal!” The woman plopped a healthy spoonful of the viscous goop onto her plate, still grinning toothily. “Eat up!”

Smiling thinly, she took the offered spoon from the woman, moving to the table and sitting down across from a man with pale skin that looked a bit like an egg. He had deep purple circles around his eyes as if he’d been hit with two ball hammers right in the eyes, giving her a wide grin. “You must be special- Grandma saves bloodmeal for only the most _ dishonored _of guests!”

_ “I would advise against eating anything with ‘blood’ in the name… or you could just leave in general. That might be better.” _

_ Riddle, honey, for the final time if Albus thought that this was the place I should go then I am not about to leave and risk his plans. Plus, I am sure that they would not poison the food they too are eating. _

Her eyes flickered to where a woman with similar pale skin and purple-rimmed eyes was eating the red bloodmeal as if it was a delicacy. 

Morticia moved to sit down gracefully next to her with a small smile. “Having an internal conversation with your beloved? How lovely it must be to have a piece of your soulmate with you wherever you go…” The woman reached out to clasp hands with her husband, her eyes fond. “I too would have to rip a piece of my Gomez out if I had planned to run from him if just to keep myself sane.”

“Cara mia, if you did, I wouldn’t stop pursuing you until my feet bled and the last breath left my lungs.” Gomez pressed a kiss to the woman’s hand, eyes adoring.

Lena looked between the two of them and then felt something click, her voice soft. “They remind me of us.”

_ “Of us?” _

_ The caring words laced with grim truths most are too scared to say, the gentle touches, and don’t pretend I haven’t seen the exact look Gomez is wearing on your face when you open your arms in an invitation to give hugs. Or how neither seem to be able to go without the other, of how they gravitate towards each other when in enclosed spaces, the amount of fond encouragement they hold for each other's interests... yes, they remind me of us. _

_ "...why do you make people hard for me to dislike though your eyes?" _

_ It's a talent, love. _

Lena looked at Morticia with a small smile. “How long have you been married?”

“Oh, almost nineteen years.”

“Their wedding was during the Blizzard of 1977! The whole family got completely snowed in and we thought we’d starve!” The man with the beady eyes and bald head said this as if it was the best thing since sliced cheese, clapping like an over-excited seal.

The elderly woman cackled as she sat down, looking at the man. “I’m sure we’ll find something equally as horrifying and dangerous for you and Dementia’s wedding, Fester.”

_ “No natural disasters for our wedding, okay?” _

_ No? Well, then we will have to settle for a day with the snow falling gently to blanket the earth, walking hand-in-hand to a courthouse building, and being greeted by the rush of warmth as we walk towards getting official documentation of how we’ve committed to forever with each other. Perhaps I’ll even wear white. _

Riddle’s voice was hoarse, a murmur. _ “Eat your damn goop and stop causing me heart palpitations, love.” _

Lena smiled to herself, tentatively trying the red-colored oatmeal.

It had an interesting nutty undertone to it, but other than that and the tangy aftertaste, it was surprisingly good. 

She supposed that every family had its own brand of crazy- just like how Slytherin talked murder while reading children’s books like Matilda, traded favors for chocolate, and treated Severus as their cool uncle (even if he was glowering at them, as they were all immune)- and getting used to another crazy family might be fun.

Lena settled into the room with the two beds on opposite walls of each other, sitting on the plain bed she’d been given and looking around. The walls were covered in black and white photos that she swore were of people but who only showed figures when she was looking out of the corner of her eyes, the worn dresser had a knife in it, and jars of dead insects and spiders covered the small desk by the bed with the deep black sheets. It seemed to fit the general sense of the rest of the family, though there was one color picture sitting on the bed stand between the two beds- an unmoving picture of a boy with messy hair and glasses that was holding what looked like a textbook in his hands.

_ “A romantic interest, then? You could use him as leverage against the girl.” _

_ Leverage isn’t something I necessarily need right now, my dear, but I will keep that in mind. _

Setting the picture frame back gently, she moved to re-sort her bag according to the cold weather, picking clothing that had darker colors so she didn’t disturb her hosts too much. 

Something grabbed her shoulder and she spun around, freezing when no one was standing near her, looking slowly at where a disembodied hand was clinging to her shoulder. Blinking slowly, she hummed. “How... fascinating.”

_ “It’s an invasion of privacy, not a rare book.” _

_ It’s new and you know how much I like to see and learn from new things. _

Holding her palm up flat, the creature ‘walked’ slowly onto it and she moved it to look at the hand in curiosity. “Hello there. I’m Lena.”

“I see you found Thing.” The old woman with the slightly crazed eyes and gap-filled smile shuffled into the room, looking at her clothes with faint approval. “I thought that I’d show you around, have you visit the graveyard and maybe even have you meet Cleopatra.”

“Cleopatra?” Her head tilted, letting 'Thing' climb back up to her shoulder as she followed the woman idly from the room, stepping over the bear trap that Fester tried to slide under her path and flinging a conjured scorpion at him- By the sound of the laughter mixed in with the screams, he didn’t mind.

Grandma grinned at her, wider, looking practically deranged. “My daughter and her husband went into the Amazon for their honeymoon and befriended the most beautiful African Strangling Plant!”

A lion stalked down the hall past them, not even glancing at her.

“Oh, and Kitty- can’t forget her!”

_ “They have a lion.” _ Riddle hummed. _ “Okay, I can’t fault that. It’s a very beautiful creature and it seemed very well behaved.” _

With a growl, a massive paw pushed her to the floor and suddenly the lion was sniffing at her, teeth bared.

She swore Riddle face-palmed. _ “Why must I take back all my words?” _

Lena smiled toothily to herself shifting into her animagus to escape the paw, sitting and staring at the lion. Growling as the lion’s eyes narrowed on her, she stood on all her paws, arching her back and yowling with more than a few threats to skin the lion and make it into a pair of boots if it tried to hurt her.

Having a stare-off, the lion rumbled lowly and then leaned forward to lick the side of her face.

Allowing it, she shifted back and brushed her hands together, patting the lion’s head. “Good kitty.” Turning, she smiled faintly at the older woman as she strode past her. “A well-trained animal indeed. I believe she smelled my unusual scent and tried to protect your house, though she has no need. I do not start fights, though I will happily pull out someone’s vocal cords to finish them… except for family.”

“Because family is made into potions!” The old woman crowded this cheerfully, shambling after her excitedly. “You will fit right in indeed!”

_ “That… is exactly what I am afraid of.” _

_ Oh, do not worry, darling. I have not- and will not- forget you so easily. You are my first love, after all. I was entranced by you before anyone else and that has forever stayed though even the rockiest of times. _

Riddle made a soft sound as if a strangled sigh. _ “You are bad for my non-existent heart, darling. Will you stay inside today- let me hold you?” _

Reaching up to clasp her locket, she pulled open the doors along with Grandma, seeing the lovely day outside- even if it was slightly cloudy. 

_ We have time, my dear. Patience is a virtue after all. _

_ “A virtue I wish you didn’t have.” _ Riddle sighed, but he didn’t sound too put out. _ “Very well. I will just have to hold you even tighter when you find your way to me later, tell you how wonderful you are.” _

Lena looked out at the lawn where Morticia was watching Gomez and Dementia, the two holding small pipe bombs and a baseball bat. The man waved at her enthusiastically and she waved back, watching them hit one of the explosives into the air. 

The bomb sailed up and then exploded with a crack, raining black soot down on the gate, which creaked in what almost sounded like laughter.

Grandma cackled, giving the three a thumbs up before waving at Lena and proposing a game of guessing how the Addams’ ancestors died according to the statues over their graves while starting to shuffle away.

She found it all oddly… charming.

_ Very well. But after your kind words, I will remind you that it takes a special kind of brilliance to amass the number of followers as you did, as well as hug you back just as tightly. And I am sure that sleep will come easy when I am in your arms, as it seems it will be a long day. _

_ “Now who is the sweet-talker?” _

_ I learned from the best. _

Her fingers came up to curl around the locket, a small smile staying on her lips all through the evening.

Fester and Gomez were easy to get along with- with a heavy emphasis on trickery and a battle of wills she was happy to join- accepting the impromptu sword-fighting lessons and practice in keeping her eyes open for traps but always remembering to keep them on their toes as well. 

Lurch was happy to play piano for her so she could waltz with Dementia, who was an ex Cirque Du Soleil acrobat that loved to dance, as Fester had more talent in chaotic Russian dances than ballroom waltzes.

Kitty had taken to her with a passion, playing fetch with her and Thing (who liked to throw the ball) or just curling up with her in her animagus in the sun of the backyard.

Grandma had taken over her late afternoons to talk potions and experiment with recipes when she’d learned of Lena’s ‘modern training’, convinced that she had to be ‘classically trained’ as well in the art of olde potion making, as the Addams women came from a long line of ancient shamans in Russia.

And Morticia... seemed happy enough to watch her get comfortable with her family.

The air was chilled and she found herself outside, looking up at the moon as she perched on the large arm of the statue dedicated to Anthrax Addams, who had been put to death by electric chair.

“You look miserable, Lena.” Morticia looked at her from her place on the path, a thin smile to her lips. “And what is making you look such a way? I thought that the coven that raised you taught you to smile and look ‘delighted’ when you were pleased? Has the moon offended you in some way- I can have Maman curse it...”

Her laugh was soft, slipping from her perch, clad in the black velvet dress that Dementia had so kindly made her as she moved to the woman’s side. “No, no, the night is beautiful and so wonderfully dim… but I still feel…” Her hand waved as she was at a loss for words to describe what she was feeling, before giving up and just sighing. “Perhaps I am homesick.”

A pale hand with long red nails rested gently on her shoulder, guiding her gently to walk with the woman. “And where is your home?”

Lena shrugged slightly, looking out at the woods beyond the swamp. “Wherever my family is. And though I have my part of Tom,” she brushed a finger against the locket gently, “I miss the friends I grew up with and Albus and… and my father. I worry for Severus and Albus with To- with the Dark Lord in power again. They either fought against him or betrayed him and he is not known for his mercy.”

“Dear terror, look at me.” Morticia stopped her, gaze heavy but without judgment. “I have little doubt that if you thought they couldn’t fend for themselves that you wouldn't have run… So what is _really_ upsetting you?”

“Am I doing the right thing, leaving everyone behind if just to give myself a bit more time? You and Gomez- you talk of death as if it is laying down to sleep- should I have stayed? Fought? Wouldn’t that have been the right thing to do?”

The woman looked at her levelly. “Gomez and I accept that Death will come for us eventually, as it will most things, but we would not let it take us before our time without a fight. As for what is the ‘right thing’ to do, I just wish you too, would ask yourself one question... Whose standards of ‘right’ are you basing that question on? Yours, or someone else’s?” Then leaving her to look up at the moon, the woman turned away and started to glide back to the house. “Now, I must see that Lurch went to fetch Wednesday and Pugsley, so please get yourself inside before the wolves come out.”

Lena looked up at the moon, hearing howls in the distance.

On an impulse, she pushed herself up on top of a nearby above-ground stone grave and took a deep breath as the howls got closer. Then letting all the frustration in her out, she screamed into the night, hands bunched in the fabric of her dress.

  
  


Tom leaned back against his chair, a glass of cabernet sauvignon held loosely in his fingers as he stared out the window to look at where the moon was hanging in the sky like a giant perfectly-shaped pearl sewn into the tapestry that was the night sky.

He wondered idly if Lena was looking at the same moon- if she could feel his absence as acutely as he felt hers. 

There was no will to leave this chair, even as the feeling of having stayed awake too long gnawed at his stomach, and instead he just raised the glass to his lips slowly. Something smooth that had a slight aftertaste of bitterness as he forwent sipping the red liquid, instead just taking a long drink as if he was a man that had been left in the desert for days. It was disrespecting the wine, but at this point, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Not when the black of the night reminded him so much of Lena’s hair.

Not when his chest ached with a longing that was slowly poisoning him.

Even in his dreams, she haunted him and at this point, he knew if he had one more dream of Lena laughing with her head slightly tilted back, long lashes on display, smooth skin of her neck exposed in the afternoon light… he would wish to never return to the waking world again.

Waking with the ache to hold her in his arms only to know she’d run from him was one of the worst feelings he’d ever experienced.

“If you could tell me where my love went… would you?” His voice was musing as he gazed softly at the moon, words slow and just the slightest bit elongated past what they usually were. “Or would you too deem me unworthy of the love she once gave so freely?”

The moon, unsurprisingly, did not answer.

“I have… an idea.” The thought about this idea not being a good one came to him, but it was easily pushed aside. Instead, he just lobbed the glass he was holding down to the floor, frowning slightly when the red wine spilled everywhere but it didn’t break.

_ Stupid durable glassware. _

Summoning it back to his hand, he tossed it again, wholly disappointed when it cracked but didn’t break.

The next time he drew it back to his hand, he summoned his anger at being left behind- at feeling so alone when he’d done so much to get to this moment- and slammed the glass to the ground, feeling a brief burst of satisfaction at the way the glass shattered.

But then it was gone.

He was left alone, frustrated, with red wine and glass scattered across the floor- _ but then again what else had he expected, Lena to appear the moment he acted like a child and broke something? _

“I just-… I just wanted to be _loved_.” A single tear slipped down his cheek as he leaned his head back with his eyes closing.

_ Even as painful as it felt right now, he knew he would never give up. _

_ He couldn’t. _

  
  


There were slow almost sarcastic claps from Lena’s side and her eyes fell open from where she’d pressed them together, the scream having left her feeling drained even though the howls were nowhere to be heard.

“What a miserable creature it seems mother and father have found.”

When she looked over, a tall girl with long black hair hanging down her shoulders like a bolt of black velvet studied her with dark eyes.

The girl smiled in the way Madame Zabini did- dark, dangerous, and with the promise of pain. “I’m Wednesday Addams, your roommate.” Then the girl tilted her head just slightly as if having found her to be inadequate upon inspection. “I think that it will be most interesting to have another witch in the house.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” Lena moved to slide from the stone grave, knowing the type of girl that she had been unknowingly pitted against, as she’d seen that exact look in the cracked mirror at the orphanage.

Wednesday bared her teeth in a grin, lunging.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lena, befriending the Addams Family and spending time with all of them: I am a horrible, terrible person  
Lena, making Grandma's day by praising her potion skills: There's not a nice bone in my body  
Lena, helping to heal Gomez after an explosion gone wrong: I break everything I touch, you know  
Lena, playing accompaniment on the organ with Lurch because he was looking a bit down: My heart is as black as tar  
Morticia: ಠಿ_ಠ  
~  
Tom: Barty, please stop telling me about all the people you know that think I'm hot.  
Tom: I know there are desperate attention-seeking messes in my area, I have a mirror.  
~  
I hope you liked this chapter and I appreciate the comments even if I don't always respond! I hope everyone's doing well!  
Love you all! -Mango


	54. Addams Manor, New Jersey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is... a thing :)  
I hope everyone is doing well and just want to drop a casual reminder that I love you all, to drink water, unclench your jaw, and take a moment to look at the sky because even as the world is descending into madness the clouds are blissfully unaware of our mortal troubles

The sharp nails of the girl’s hands dug into her arms, her hand fisted in the girl’s hair. They toppled to the ground, scratching and snarling at each other like wild animals, not even pausing when lightning cracked across the sky and it started to pour on them.

Magic crackling around them, even if neither used it, Riddle saying something in the background but it went unheard as an elbow dug into her ribs and she slapped the girl across the face.

The rain came down harder.

Eventually, both panting and soaked to the bone with mud and rain, they just stared at each other from where they’d both crawled apart in a silent agreement not to fight anymore. Lena’s hand was covering where the girl’s nails had gouged into her neck, eyes looking at Wednesday blankly. “When Morticia said by sharing space we would be sharpening our claws, I see she meant  _ literally _ .”

Wednesday didn’t look too fazed by their tussle, even if her cheek was red, sitting calmly in the mud like it was normal. “Mother said you were being self-pitying and to make you come in before it started to rain.” Hands wiping off her dress collar as if that would help anything, the girl looked over herself with pursed lips. “This dress was new.”

“Mine too.”

Staring at each other for a long moment, the girl smiled thinly, Lena chuckling as she ran her hand through her wet hair, though soon it turned to hearty laughter as she tilted her head back to the rain. It was freeing, the cold rain soaking her to the bone and her neck bleeding even as her lungs tightened with the feeling of laughter.

“You’re insane… but you have a good pain tolerance.” Wednesday was holding out a hand to her when she wiped the rain from her face and looked at the girl. “Grandma might be right about you yet.”

Taking the hand, Lena let the girl pull her up with a thin smile on her lips. “Maybe.”

_ “I cannot believe you just had a fist-fight in the mud- it’s cold and raining! What if you get sick! And- and not using your magic? What’s that about?” _

_ It felt right. _

_ “Felt- are you out of your mind? You let that girl scratch you! You’re bleeding!” _

“Mother said you space out sometimes and that means you’re talking to that part of your soulmate in the locket.” Wednesday gave her a curious look and she noticed they were still holding hands, even as they walked back slowly in the rain, the girl’s dark eyes sad with that feral sort of loathing she often saw in the mirror. “What is it like… to be destined for someone?”

Lena knew Wednesday- that was why it felt right. They were a badly told story replicated after each other in such ways that each of their missing pieces aligned. Two different stained glass murals that had broken and ended up mirror images of each other as they lay on the hallowed ground, shattered.

“It’s an exhilarating feeling.” She wouldn’t lie. “But one moment you’re flying and he loves you and everything is alright and-”

“And the next second your wings are melting and there’s only the cutting wind and the knowledge if you hit that water, it’ll kill you instantly.” Wednesday nodded, not looking at her. They were silent for a moment as they approached the house, but before they could go in, the girl pulled her to a stop. “It’s worse than you think, hitting the water. I- I know how my family frames good as bad and bad as good, trust me, boarding school tends to open one’s eyes… but just… it’s easier to die than to have to live without the person you had let see every single crevice in your soul, good or bad.”

There was no approximation or guesswork to the words, only surety.

Lena squeezed the hand softly. “I didn’t mean to move your things.”

Wednesday nodded, licking her lips and then smiling tightly. “The dust gave it away. If you do it again, at least do it better.”

“Can I ask?”

The girl looked at her with flat eyes, even if there was a sort of dull warmth to them as if the girl could see the same thing she did, felt the same vague comfort from her presence. “Not if you want to live through the morning.”

She nodded, understanding.

Riddle, it seemed, didn’t.  _ “I’m lost. Does your conversation of half-sentences have something to do with how you two just made messes of each other in the pouring rain?” _

_ Yes, but even I don’t know the full story right now so I don’t want to speculate too far. _

_ “I’m still unhappy with her for making you bleed.” _

Lena just nodded at that, whispering a ‘thanks’ when the girl held the door open, stepping into the house gingerly and toeing off her wet shoes at the door. Wednesday did the same as they both avoided where Morticia had her arms crossed in the middle of the grand hall. 

Gomez frowned a bit at the state of their clothes, looking more upset than Dementia even when the woman had sewn this dress for her, but he stayed silent as Morticia tried to pin them to the wall with a particularly sharp gaze.

When no one spoke, the woman just sighed faintly. “Go take a bath, both of you.” Then stopping her as she went to follow Wednesday, Morticia healed the gouges on her neck with a quick spell that numbed the pain with a cool feeling before nodding to the stairs.

She hurried to follow the dark-haired girl.

Moving into the room to see Wednesday stripping off her clothes carelessly, looking away, and taking off the locket to give the girl her privacy, she hid the golden locket under her pillow protectively. Then silently shifting her weight, she pulled herself out of her wet dress and tights as best she could. “Go ahead. I’ll find a dry towel and-”

“The bath is big enough for both of us.” Wednesday’s voice was faint and bland, but it held an undertone of loneliness to it Lena could feel in her chest. 

When she turned in her wet underthings, the girl was uncaringly naked and holding a towel out to her.

Taking it hesitantly, she pulled off the remaining wet garments and then wrapped the soft towel around her, following the girl to the bathroom and sitting on the toilet as Wednesday started the water.

Lena could hear the rain faintly against the roof, leaning forward to press her face to where her knees were covered with the towel, folding herself over her arms.

There was a faint splash, a rustle of fabric dropped to the ground. “Get in.”

Unfolding herself slowly, she hung her towel on one of the hooks by the door before moving to stand next to the large tub awkwardly. Wednesday stared at her in obvious mirth, chin resting against her palm, elbow on the rim of the large clawed foot bathtub.

Stepping into the hot water, she sat down next to where the girl’s ankles were crossed, her form curled into a loose ball. “I don’t… I’m not used to…”

“Tubs at Ilvermorny are a commodity and it’s common to share time.” Tilting her head back and staring at the ceiling, the girl closed her eyes. 

Lena hummed, sinking a bit further into the hot water and tilting her head back to try to get some of the mud from her hair. “Do you like it there? I heard that it’s in the top ten magical schools in the world.”

Wednesday smirked. “There are only ten, so yes… it’s in the top ten.” It was sort of obvious she didn’t think too highly of the school. “Pugsley and I have our own little group of misfits. We sort of take anyone the others don’t want- that’s how it’s always been.”

She nodded silently, knowing the girl would understand she was the same way.

Pushing herself back to sitting, the girl held out a cup to her. “Wash my hair? Then I’ll do yours and we’ll get rid of this nasty water.”

“I… sure.” When the girl shuffled so her back was to Lena, she took the shampoo handed back to her and started to lather the suds into the girl’s hair gently.

When she was done, conjuring clean water to wash the girl’s hair, she did the sort of awkward movement to turn herself around and tried not to be uncomfortable at someone touching her like this. 

Mid-way through getting the mud out of her long hair, the girl spoke up softly. “His name was Joel. I met him when my family was in a bad place and… we were nothing alike, but he was the one that got Pugsley and me to see the world from everyone else’s point of view. Horrible, yes, but it made us realize that we were lucky to see the world in shades of grey as some people didn’t understand yet that life’s a mess of shit and no one gets out without stains.”

Lena just held still and let the girl speak what was weighing on her.

“He was a no-Maj. No magic. So when they found out he had Leukemia…” The girl’s fingers trembled. “It’s a non-magic disease that-”

“I know.”

Wednesday was silent for a moment. “He-... It’s hard without him. I got the papers signed to tell him about magic and got to take him to a dragon preserve before- before...” The girl laughed, but it sounded more like a sob from where she was sitting. 

She just looked down at her hands.

“Why- why am I telling you this?” 

The question seemed rhetorical, laced in grief, so she didn’t answer. Instead, she turned and gently took her hair from the girl’s hands before lacing the fingers of one of her hands with one of Wednesday’s pale hands. 

“Mother and Father, they look at me like… like I’m going to break. Like if they say one thing wrong that I’ll shatter into a million pieces and  _ it’s not fair _ ! It’s not  _ fair  _ that everyone gets to be happy and I-...” Cutting herself off with a choked sound, Wednesday put her head down on Lena’s shoulder, shaking.

Reaching out, she just curled her hand around the girl’s upper arm the way Jack used to do when she was shaking apart and she’d needed a physical anchor. “I’ve got you. You can cry here- I’m not afraid of your grief.”

It seemed almost hopelessly poetic, sitting together in the murky water, both slowly shattering and neither knowing what to do about it. Like she’d said- she’d seen that look in the girl’s eyes in her own, only it was probably for longer than she thought.

Wednesday’s nails dug into her arm as she held the girl firmly, grounding each other as best they knew how.

_ It felt right. _

It wasn’t necessarily love- no, they’d already given their hearts to others far too long ago for this to be anything close to love- but there was something between her and Wednesday that Lena couldn’t exactly put into words.

With Riddle, she had this overwhelming need to be  _ close  _ and she got the impression that if they didn’t find comfort in the other person’s health they would tear each other apart just to get their hands on some part of each other that they could  _ keep.  _ If they were different people they probably would have ripped chunks from each other to hide in their chests just to know that neither would be whole without the other, that there was a physicality to the feeling of aching to breathe in the same air.

Wednesday was… different.

They were pulled closer together because it felt like hope- like an eye in the hurricane- like _understanding_.

When Lena woke up to the sound of crying in the middle of the night, their eyes meeting across the small moonlight room she just pushed herself against the wall and held the covers open so the girl could lay down next to her. They shared the space, watching each other for a moment in the night as if just checking to make sure the other was there before Lena held open her arms this time and Wednesday muffled sobs against her shoulder instead of a cold pillow.

It was something unspoken, a look or perhaps a faint current of energy that spoke for them-  _ I see you, I hear you, and you are not alone. _

It wasn't love, Lena tried to tell herself... and yet it kind of was.

Even with the way she’d tried to explain the whirlwind of emotions and events that had happened to Riddle, he still seemed faintly disgruntled at the fact she’d forgotten to put the locket back on after the bath and then when she finally had it had been when she had just woken up and Wednesday was still sleeping next to her.

Thus why, to go to a place she could talk to him without him being near hysterical, she had carefully pulled herself from the bed and gone to find where Wednesday told her the stash of healthy (but still sugary) cereal was. 

A boy with a sparse amount of hair and an abnormally friendly face (for an Addams) slid the box of cereal he had out down the counter to her with a smile that turned a bit more crooked when she peered inside carefully. 

_ “-and then suddenly she’s undressing and you’re undressing too and then you end up in the same bed! I just- am I not enough, Lena? Is it something I did? Do you not love me anymore?” _

“I do not think it is possible at this point for me to love you any less.” Flicking her hand and levitating an ugly-looking tarantula out of the box, she moved it magically to the boy who picked it up with an ‘innocent’ look at her. Rolling her eyes in return at the boy but checking for any more traps, she started to pour herself a bowl of sweet granola cereal. “Riddle, my dear, she had a nightmare and I let her share my space. I apologize for leaving you to your imagination, but I am allowed my own space occasionally.”

Riddle sighed slightly at that.  _ “I suppose you do… not that I have to like it.” _

“I would be surprised if you did.” Opening the fridge and looking around, Thing jumped on her shoulder and pointed to a carton behind a jar of pickled cow’s eyeballs. Making a soft ‘ah’ sound, she moved the jar and got out the carton.

She could almost  _ hear  _ his pout.  _ “I trust you.” _

Lena smiled to herself as she opened the milk and peered inside. It was not unusual for Aristotle to hide in the condiments so he could surprise people. But at not seeing any sign of an octopus, she poured the slightly blue milk into the cereal. “If you didn’t trust me, would you tell me?”

_ “If I didn’t trust you of course I wouldn’t tell you, but I do, so that means if I don't then I would.” _

“How confusing.”

Riddle just chuckled softly, voice teasing.  _ “It’s a talent.” _

A smile flashing across her lips, she looked up at the boy to find Wednesday was up and leaning on the shoulders of who Lena assumed was her brother. She looked at them and then pointed at the milk. “It’s blue.”

Wednesday just looked at her dryly. “It’s from a blue cow.”

_ “This house is a bloody nightmare.” _

Pressing her lips together to hide her smile, she nodded. “Sounds accurate. Want some?”

“No. Grandmama made screaming sourdough bread last night so I’ll have some of that with some eggs.” Slipping past her, Wednesday moved to a container and pulled out a normal- looking loaf of bread, only it wailed like a woman possessed when cut into.

Lena hummed. “Excessive... but cool.”

The girl, she could tell from the angle of her face, was smiling. “Don’t get used to it. I heard from Boudicca that Dad’s friend that was going to pick you up in a few weeks got tangled in a slave-trafficking ring for magical creatures and probably won’t be back until Yule.”

“Slave-trafficking?” Her frown was upset at the mere thought. “Who would do such a thing?”

“Probably the same people that supported your boyfriend when he went insane.” Wednesday nodded to her locket, swiping some butter across the weakly groaning toast. “Anyway, that’s not the point. The point is that I heard Mother and Father discussing asking you if you wanted to enroll in Ilvermorny as a transfer student for half of a semester.” At her look, the girl rolled her eyes. “Until Yule.”

A shadow seemed to loom out of nowhere and if she wasn’t used to Morticia’s ultra-silent haunting habits, she probably would have tried to stab her with her spoon. The woman looked a bit put off. “We were going to ask Lena on Samhain, as the weather is supposed to be miserable.” Pale hands brushed some dust from the creaky ceiling off her black blouse, the woman smiling softly. “I’d imagine the bad news of strangers does darken this horrible sunny day though, so maybe it won’t be so bad?”

“Oh, no, I don’t mind.” She took a bite of her cereal, voice a mutter. “Today’s already miserable enough.”

“Wonderful then! And what do you think of this horrible idea of seeing the _ general public _ ?” The woman said the word in the way Snape said ‘Sirius Black’, making her smile in amusement.

Riddle chuckled to himself.

“I think that they would be horrified at even having to see another Addams on the roster for the school year, don’t you?”

Morticia paused at that, seeming to think about it. “Then you must go. The sun would shine on me before I ever thought to deprive any such school teacher or administration of the school that stole much of this land’s native symbology to use as a way to subjugate affluent children that type of  _ unholy horror _ .”

Lena made a note to ask Wednesday about that later, but for now, she shared a smile with the girl, though it lasted only until she saw that ugly tarantula creeping towards her slowly. “If that thing touches my cereal I will drown it in the Blue Cow Milk.”

The spider that was the size of a good-sized bagel paused, one of its furry legs mid-air. Then slowly, it started to back up.

“That’s what I thought.”

Grinning, the boy held out a hand to her. “Pugsley. And that’s Marx.” 

“Lena.” She took the hand, looking once more at the spider. “Like… Karl Marx?”

“Like Helena of Troy?” The boy responded with amused eyes.

_ “He’s got you there.” _

Squeezing the hand, she eyed the boy in amusement. “Touche.”

Wednesday and Pugsley were an odd combination of the Slytherins back home and the Addams, as they were more than willing to near-kill each other in their pursuit of curiosity but yet stuck together like glue while doing so. When Lena had asked, the two had looked at each other for a moment before Pugsley answered. “Ilvermorny is one of seventeen magical schools in America, but it’s the only one nationally recognized, so it’s far more ‘prestigious’- hence why none of the lawsuits that the Native Magical Community have put on them for stealing their culture and using it as stupid names for houses have ever actually been seen in a fair court of law.” Already frowning, the boy saw her about to speak and barreled on. “That means that the school we go to year-round is full of uppity warlocks that have been raised with silver spoons shoved up their asses and bigoted ideals from their parents shoved down their throats.”

The place they were sitting in the cemetery was silent for a moment, the boy looking away with his lips flattened into a line and his eyes narrowed on the distance.

“We’re mostly left alone because our family comes from old magic and old blood, but some of your friends don’t necessarily have a good experience with their classmates,” Wednesday said this calmly where she was currently making what looked to be a voodoo doll of Lena. Seeing her look, the girl smiled up at her. “Imani’s grandmother was one of the great Voodoo Queens of Louisianna and her family still practices the rituals passed down from their ancestors from West Africa.”

Pugsley nodded. “Isn’t she visiting with Vince for Samhain?”

Wednesday nodded, then clarified for Lena. “Vince is Imani’s boyfriend. They’ve been attached at the hip since they met.”

“They sound fascinating.”

“Oh, and don’t forget the Owens- Kylie and Antonia are due to come over with their whole family for the holidays, as Grandmama wanted to trade cursed objects and recipes with their grandmothers.”

Pugsley nodded. “And I’ll put Karl down Gary’s shirt, so he does that funny dance again.”

“I’m sure they’ll all adore you. Imani’s drawn to those with wilder magics, the Owens are like a lighter version of our family though they’re just as dangerous, and Vince likes any female liable to crush his windpipe.” After the two snickered slightly at that, Wednesday grinned at her faintly. “I think you’ll fit in perfectly as our group's ninth.”

_ “I get the feeling that’s faintly foreboding.” _

Wednesday grinned wider, teeth seeming too sharp for just a moment in the light of the afternoon sun. “As now we have enough people to call upon the dead to haunt the Headmaster and School Board until they give back the native symbology and culture they appropriated.”

Riddle paused for a moment.  _ “You know what… for once I fully support this cause.” _

_ You’re just saying that because it makes rich arseholes suffer. _

_ “Is that so wrong? Have they ever done anything for us so substantial that we shouldn’t participate in this noble quest to give justice to an oppressed and discriminated group of magical peoples?” _

_ No, I just meant that you’re going to find an unholy amount of glee from me helping to curse people. _

_ “Yes, yes I will.”  _ She could feel Riddle’s toothy grin like a brush of warm air against her neck, shivering slightly.  _ “And why wouldn’t I?” _

Wednesday’s absent voice broke through to her. “As Vince always says: ‘Eat the rich unwilling to spread out their wealth in help to those that need it.’”

Riddle’s laugh was dark and gleeful.  _ “Oh yes, I will enjoy this greatly.” _

Lena sighed as if put out, firmly ignoring that a smile of her own was creeping across her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have decided, for reasons, that I'm going to mess with the canon version of Illivermorny (if there is one) because the general premise of it's lore pisses me off ^-^  
Also, I hate all spiders but Karl Marks, though he's on thin ice because he's a furry menace that has no sense of personal space


	55. The Author's Chair, Mango's Secret Lair

Hey there guys, gals, non-binary pals, and the monster of shadowy tentacles that lives in the corner of my room,

I'm here to let all of you lovely humanoids that I'm going to be taking a break from this story for a while and though I hope that 'while' is only about a month or two, it could be _a while._ So... well, I'm here to explain why, as I know quite a few of you love this story- and I love that you love it so much.

I'm not really in a great place now and I haven't been for a long while now. Writing Lena started as something fun but the more comments I got about how self-defeating, hopeless, near-suicidal she is made me realize that those were characteristics in my own person that had leached into this character. And then came the problem- because I really want to give Lena and Tom happiness, I really do, but the thing is I don't exactly know how to be happy myself.

So I tried to explore her character, to take her away from Hogwarts and give her outside reasons for her to find her own happiness, but then there were questions about her motives or asks for me to just shove Tom at her and hope for the best.

In a way, I _was_ stalling.  
In a way, I was trying to give myself that distance so I could make sure Lena got her happy ending, even if I still can't see that for myself.

Either way, I'm going to take some time and discuss the meaning of life with the shadow-creature that follows me around. Maybe when I find the answer to that unanswered philosophical dilemma then I'll come back... or when I finish writing so I can drop the new chapters and be done with this story, whichever comes first.

I hope that you all are doing well and appreciate the encouragement that has gotten me this far with this story,

-Mango <3

P.S. Just to be abundantly clear, I'm not dying anytime soon unless I get murdered (and even then I'd probably at least inform my murderer that what they're doing isn't legal).

P.P.S Nobody gets to tell me that 'I just have to be happy' because I have at least three hands and will throat-punch anyone who tries to tell me depression isn't real.


	56. 0001 Cemetery Lane, Westfield NJ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I already sort of told you I was going to do this for you because you're my favorite maniacal fire-wielding being of chaos, but, uh, *clears throat* MERRY CHRISTMAS, AMY!  
You're one of three people that could get me to do this, so be happy- your name will forever be attached to this chapter, as it's my gift to you.  
*blows a kiss before winking exaggeratedly in a very unsexy way* Enjoy!

“...you’re planning to die, right? That’s the whole point of your emotional journey is so you can return home and somehow complete this prophecy by letting your beloved kill you?”

Lena hummed from where she was laying down in the grass, her head resting on Wednesday’s thigh where the girl was sitting up against a headstone, the setting sun casting its last rays of light across the manor’s grounds. “Well, yes… mostly I don’t- I don’t want to have to see the person I’ve come to treasure and hold so deeply in the core of my being so twisted with insanity.” Closing her eyes against the rising feeling of _longing _in her chest, she shook her head slightly. “I keep having this dream where I return, walking through those halls and he’s there- sane and whole and _perfect- _except… when he turns to look at me, there’s nothing. No recognition, no warm smile in greeting, not even a pleased smirk and…”

The girl’s hand carded through her hair gently. “And you wake up with tears in your eyes, feeling as if someone ripped out your heart.” A soft huff. “Yeah. I know.”

Reaching up, she tangled her fingers in Wednesday’s, holding on tightly. “Had I met you first- had the world allowed us to find each other before we decided to give our hearts away to tragedy, I would have loved you to the end of the Earth and back.”

“That’s a little bit gay, Lena.” The girl’s voice was mirthful.

Laughing softly and tilting her head back so she could look up at the girl, she smiled as cheekily as she could with her heart so heavy. “I would have been a little bit gay for you, Wednesday.”

“That’s the dumbest and yet somehow sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.” The girl grinned at her before it turned a bit melancholy. “But I think I have to ask you not to speak of that distant universe, as you’re firmly devoted to another and I don’t want… I’m lost and adrift, Lena. Don’t make me latch onto you in hopes of safety and then make me have to lose you too. That’s not fair to either of us.”

“...alright.” Lena nodded slightly, looking away. “I-... I understand that.”

She wished that she could have said that she wouldn’t leave- that she could give up this hopeless road she was on and stay with good people that would love her no matter what…

But she couldn’t, so she didn’t.

Lena stood towards the back of the main hall leaning against the wall next to Lurch who was playing Moonlight Sonata, watching Wednesday and Pugsley greet two girls their age with grins and half-snorted laughs. Like their mother and aunt, one of the girls had red hair and the other brunette, the brunette woman that was their mom standing hand in hand with a man that reminded her a bit of Jack with the way he held himself, the redheaded aunt of the two girls leaning on his other side with an unlit cigarette hanging from her lips.

Grandmama had taken up whispering with two older women, who also had the brown and red hair that Wednesday had told her was common for the Owen’s family, the two women and one man talking to Morticia and Gomez.

A happy family. 

Lurch grunted, the song having finished, looking at her for another recommendation.

“Something sad.”

Doing something with his eyebrows as if to say _ ‘you always ask for that, can’t you ever like happy things?’_, the man started to play Moonlight Sonata yet again.

_ “Something about this scene bothers you?” _

_ They’re happy. _

Riddle’s huff was soft. _ “It is a prominent holiday, darling, like muggle Christmas where family comes together to celebrate. Of course they would be happy. My question is not that, it is this: why aren’t you?” _

_ I could leave this house and no one would notice. I feel… unseen. Forgotten. Lost. _

Lena put a hand up to her face, closed her eyes. 

_ I want someone to see me. It has been what I have wanted for so long and for so long I have lived with this hole in my chest- I want someone to look me in the eyes and not only understand but accept me. _

_ “Come sit with me, love.” _

_ It would be rude to leave. _

_ “And it would be ruder to think that they would make you say when in such a state of turmoil- come lay in my arms and let me tell you a story.” _

_ ...I’m always up for a good story. _

Riddle chuckled softly. _ “Get moving, then, sweetheart. I’m terribly lonely.” _

Her huff was just a breath, pushing herself off the wall and looking at Lurch before nodding her head to the stairs. When the man just nodded slowly, she retreated to the room she shared with Wednesday, Kitty following her. Changing into sleep clothes and finding the lion was already laying across her bed, she smiled faintly and then shifted into her animagus form.

Arching her back and then leaning forward to stretch her legs, tail flicking behind her, she focused for a moment, springing up onto the bed so she could pad across the bed and curl up under the lion’s chin.

Growling softly when the lion tried to lick her face, she put a paw on the big wet nose so it stopped moving before closing her eyes.

Riddle was laying in a hammock, her mindscape reflecting Ares’ Temple, and he laughed softly as she climbed into the same hammock ungracefully, flopping on top of him like a dead fish. His hand moving to card through her hair. “You’re in a mood today.”

“Bite me.”

“...where?”

Jabbing his side, she smiled into his shoulder when he made a soft hissing sound. “You promised me a story.”

The hand in her hair moved to poke her cheek lightly. “And here I thought that you enjoyed my presence as well as my ability to get you out of situations you don’t want to be in. But, no, you just want your story.”

“You know that I appreciate your existence with all of my soul.” She wiggled to the side so she was tucked into his side comfortably. “But I am curious at heart and you know that I like your stories, as you seldom tell them.”

“I realized that I never told you my story- the full thing.”

She looked up at him, raising her eyebrows. “Oh?”

Riddle nodded, lips holding a fond smile as he gently carded his hands through her hair. “I was born in 1926, Tom Marvolo Riddle, as my mother was Merope Gaunt and my father was-”

There was a light touch that jolted her from her mindscape before the boy could finish his sentence and when she looked up, she found Morticia looking at her in concern. “Lena, I wished to ask if you were planning on joining our Samhain seance. We do need another member and you had said you were curious the other day...”

_ I’m sorry, dear. Can we put a bookmark in that thought? I promise I want nothing more than to hear all of your stories, but I did promise Morticia and Wednesday I would participate in the seance. _

_ “Of course, love. We have plenty of time, as there is no rush. Plus, I find myself equally as curious.” _

_ Thank you- we will talk, I will make sure of it. _

Riddle chuckled and she felt warmth as the locket pulsed. _ “Take the worry from your mind. I’m not upset- if anything, I will have more time to prepare myself to tell you the story properly.” _

Shifting from her animagus form, she slid off the bed. “I’m still interested, I just needed some space.” When Morticia looked between her eyes, she smiled softly. “I’m not much for celebrating this holiday, so the festivities sort of threw me off, but I’m alright.”

“If you are sure. Seances are sometimes very emotionally draining.” Hand lingering on her shoulder for just a moment, the woman swept from the room silently.

Lena followed her to where a large round table was set out in the middle of the living room, the mirrors in the room covered and the house lit by candles.

Morticia sat, taking her husband’s hand next to her. “Sit and complete the circle, our thirteenth, and our tie for the circle.”

Sitting down carefully and looking at Wednesday, who gave her a small grin, she took the hand of the man to her side- _ Gary, she thought his name was?_\- along with Morticia's cooler hand, feeling something almost electric in the contact, shivering slightly as she closed her eyes like everyone else was doing.

_ Is that… supposed to happen? _

_ “I don’t know. I have never actually participated in a seance before, though I admit I am very intrigued by the possibilities of what could happen- especially with a child involved.” _

The fact Pubert was holding hands with Gomez and one of the Owens’ girls was a bit strange, but apparently, they needed thirteen people and the three grandmothers had sat out being directly involved under the claim that ‘the young ones should have their fun.’

Lena tried to focus on the words that the dark-haired woman on the other side of Garry was saying, but something kept diverting her like something was tugging at her attention.

“-we invoke the name of Lady Magic to help us reach across the veil and feel the presence of those that we’ve lost, to let them rest their hands on our shoulders or press a kiss to our foreheads so that we may be strong in the coming times, with friends and family around us, as we-”

Her eyes opened, looking up to see a figure standing by a nearby window, looking directly at her and speaking without thinking as if the words were not her own. “Holly Owens. Your presence is recognized- step in the circle”

Stepping forward, the woman’s shape flickering like smoke from a candle as she stepped through where Wednesday and Pugsley were holding hands, dark eyes looked at her. A voice like the whispering wind, the woman bowed. “My thanks, Cloaked One.” The spirit then turned towards the two women that were probably her daughters, a soft smile on her lips. “How much you two have grown… my daughters, breaking the family curse and finding so much _ love…_”

The woman with dark hair gave a soft gasping sound, her sister at her side murmuring ‘mom’ softly, they both leaned closer to each other as they spoke to the woman.

Lena’s attention had started to shift, many more faces and figures stepping from the shadows to surround the circle, all shifting restlessly as they eyed her as if waiting for permission.

“Cloaked One.” The woman once more caught her attention, dipping her head. “My thanks.”

Nodding, unsure why the woman was thanking her, she nodded to a boy in the crowd. “Joel Glicker.” When the boy with thick glasses that was looking around almost nervously paused and then pointed at himself, she huffed. “Enter the circle, Joel.”

“Lena, that isn’t funn-” Wednesday’s breath stuttered when the boy did so a bit hesitantly, apparently able to see him now, her eyes filling with tears as the boy smiled sort of awkwardly. “J-Joel?”

“Hey, Wednesday.”

The girl made a soft helpless choking sound. “No, you can’t- This- You’re not…”

Joel smiled softly, a sweet and soft look in his eyes as he leaned forward to cup Wednesday’s face in his hands of smoke. “The Hallow Mistress invited me. I don’t need to be magic, I just… I just need to want to see you.” When the girl shook with a grief-filled sob, the boy smiled a bit helplessly. “It’s okay, Wednesday. It’s okay, I’m right next to you- like I said I would be forever. I’ll never leave your side, so you don’t have to look so sad all the time, okay?”

“I just- I want- Why couldn’t you _ stay_?”

With a soft laugh, the boy leaned in to press a kiss to Wednesday’s forehead. “Some things aren’t meant to last. They’re meant to be beautiful and to change people for the better, but they’re not permanent.” His smile was small. “I’m at peace now, Wednesday.”

Lena drifted somewhere in between the spoken word and the tick of the clock above the fireplace, speaking when needed to invite or pardon spirits from the circle, but mostly just feeling… untethered.

“Jackson Farland, enter the circle.” Her eyes were unfocused, staring off out the window at the cemetery, but when something touched her cheek, she blinked and finally realized the words that had come from her own mouth.

Before her, standing tall and proud, Jack looked more at peace in his skin than she remembered, though that could have been because he was holding a plumed Corinthian helmet under his arm, adorned in gleaming a golden chest plate and leathers. His eyes were a burning orange like fire was raging in him.

“Jack?” Her voice was small. “Ares?”

The man smiled crookedly, voice somewhere between Jack’s gruffness and Ares’ echoing rasp. “We’re here, Lena. We would never leave our daughter, our last priestess… the kindest form that Death will ever take.” A hand that felt so strong- so solid- moved to settle on her shoulder before cupping the back on her neck in a way that felt like it was grounding her to the present. “Do not fear this, Lena. Never fear what you can do. You can dislike it and you can go out of your way to avoid it, but you should never fear who you are- no one has the right to make you feel that way, not even yourself.”

Lena swallowed thickly, voice a whisper. “I can see… I can hear them, Jack, in the corner of my eyes. What-... what _ am I_?”

“You are the Cloaked One. The Mistress of the Hallows. The living Veil.” Leaning in, pressing a kiss to her forehead, the man’s voice was a whisper against her skin. “If Hades and Anubis are Death Gods, then you are Thanatos.”

Ripping her hands from the ones holding her, the spirits disappearing and Ares’ soft laugh echoing in her ears, she stood and stumbled back, her chair falling over.

“Lena?”

Shaking her head and swallowing, she ran from the room, darting up the stairs.

_ “Lena? Lena, darling, what happened?” _

Stopping as her knees shook, she leaned up against the wall, trying to remember how to breathe. 

_ Jack! He- he was there and- and Ares was with him- or was him and- _

_ “Whoa, slow down, sweetheart. Take a deep breath.” _ Riddle’s voice was soothing and she instinctively followed his lead as he started to count her breathing in and out, his voice patient as he waited for her to calm down. _ “I’m not sure if it was the seance or something else, but parts of your vision and hearing kept cutting in and out or being blurry, not to mention you couldn’t seem to hear me. So before anything- are you alright?” _

_ Physically, I’m fine. _

_ “Okay… so you said Jack showed up- I saw that part, with the gold armor and helmet, which I am assuming is Ares… but after that was sort of fuzzy. What happened?” _

Lena took a deep breath, licking her lips before shaking her head. 

_ He… he just said something that-... I’m just shaken up, darling. It’s- it’s not important. _

_ “Are you sure? You know you can speak to me about anything, right?” _

_ I know, I’m just- I’m not ready to confront this yet. _

The locket warmed against her skin, Riddle’s voice concerned. _ “It’s alright. Everything is alright, Lena. Just take a deep breath. You’re in control of your skin, but everything else is not able to be controlled without force, so if you did not force something to happen, then you are not at fault.” _

Her breathing shook just slightly as she made her way back to her room, curling back up in her bed.

_ I want to write… letters. To you. To Voldemort. In the case that… that when I die, maybe he can find some sort of clarity. Maybe- maybe it will help with this feeling of fear when I think of him. _

_ “I think that any part of me would be honored to hold any part of you, even if just a letter.” _

  
  


**Dearest Tom,**

**There are many ways that I have thought to address this letter to you, but I figured that I would settle on the simplest, as to me you will forever be Tom Riddle no matter what face or name I call you by. **

**My companion.**

**My advisor and friend.**

**My Tom.**

**I do not think anymore that even death could change that. Once upon a time, I found that I had something akin to hate for you- for the idea that you could take so much from me and yet not ever have to feel any remorse for what you did. But I think that you will find that remorse, even if it takes time and you burn the world to ashes by the time you realize it. **

**You will look up at the moon one day and you will regret being able to love.**

**Because it hurts.**

**Because somewhere inside you, there is a hollow space that your body instinctively made for me to fit into, just as there is in mine. In fact, I have multiple spaces for you. One of the most prominent at the moment sits right under my throat and like a knot, it tightens until I cannot breathe when I think of how I wish I could have pulled you in, kept you all to myself before we fell apart with fate’s words. Another, in parallel, sits right below my breastbone like a well that fills with rich warmth when I hear your laugh or your eyes sparkle or you give me that mischievous grin of yours without knowing that at that moment you hold my heart in its entirety.**

**The others, well, I would say that you have to find them yourself, but perhaps that is too hopeful to put in ink. Fate is not often known for being kind.**

**As I do not actually know whether or not you will read any of my letters, even if I have made them effectively as destruction-proof as I could, I admit that I will most likely go on tangents about what is happening around me. (Apologies in advance.) **

**...Though perhaps my ramblings will be as cathartic for you to read in some future time as they are for me to write out.**

**The Addams, a family of American immigrants with old magic ties that either ordain from Romania or Russia (I can’t tell and no one will clue me in) that I am currently staying with, just held a seance. And… it was interesting, to say the least. I loathe the idea of writing exactly what happened down on paper as I’m currently pretending as if I don’t remember, but needless to say, it kickstarted my ‘initiation’ into Wednesday and Pugsley's friend group.**

_ **(That makes it sound like a cult. It’s not a cult, it’s a group of like-minded teenagers… not that that distinction makes it much better.)** _

**So far I’ve met only Kylie and Antonia, who are twins that exemplify much more of the ‘light’ scale of magic compared to Wednesday and Pugsley’s dark magic, but the others that I’ve heard be mentioned are a boy named Vince who apparently has no self-preservation when it comes to pretty girls, a girl named Imani who hails from the Voodoo Queens of New Orleans, a girl named Cindy who Antonia described as ‘the person equivalent of cotton candy’, and a boy named Lowan who has an affinity for elemental magic.**

**I do not doubt that they’re going to be quite different than I am expecting, but that is part of the reason I also want to meet them- as I know anyone that runs with the Addams will have a story to tell.**

**And I like stories.**

**Perhaps that’s why I’m writing to you, darling. Because I want our story to live on and without my part of standing up to say that I walked willingly into your arms- whether that be for a tender embrace or my death- I fear that the history books will look back on me as a martyr. **

**I am no such thing. **

**I will walk to you with my head held high- no pity, no sacrifice, just the selfish desire of one half of a soul not to live without the other.**

**Maybe someday you will understand. And if you do… I am so sorry.**

**Your Lena.**

  
The letter was tucked into the bottom of her backpack, never sent.

Wednesday sat down on the arm of the chair where she was currently sketching Morticia and Gomez, as they were going to pay her for a portrait and she wanted a drawing before she started on the painting to make sure she did her best work, the girl flicking her fingers out to offer her an envelope. “This came in the post. It’s addressed to Helena Prince.”

Pencil dropping from her fingers as she grabbed the envelope, she opened it and hastily undid the pages, looking at the familiar handwriting in relief.

_ Lena, _

_ I worry about you. Not for your life, necessarily, as my ‘Lord’ has returned and he actually seems saner than I worried (though I do question his obsession with you), but for how long you have been away. _

_ Albus said he would address this letter to you in a way that ‘Tom’ will not recognize and get it to you safely but he will not speak of where you are, even to me. Though I admit that might be best as I do not know if my mental barriers would hold back my ‘Lord’ if he found I was trying to keep information on your whereabouts from him. I say that not to worry you, just… well, I don’t know. He keeps a weird relationship with you and until I see you around him I am withholding judgment if I hate him or not, as I see glimpses of the man that I knew as my mentor often when he speaks. _

_ And on that, though I think that my ‘Lord’ is not wholly insane anymore, I still think that you should stay away from Britain until your birthday- To be safe, as I am not sure if my ‘Lord’ is playing at some longer con yet. _

_ I know that you will want to hear all your friends are well, so I have included pictures from the camera we got during our time in France. As you will see, they are all well and in one piece- though Miss. Weasley got a concussion from playing Quiddich and Mr. Nott got a black eye from Draco when joking about your brother’s sex life. I admit to tuning the whole story out and just glaring at them in disapproval, though Draco had the audacity to tell me you had scarier glares. _

_ I would like to formally complain about that. As you are my daughter, I feel as if I should have the scarier glare, so that I may scare away whatever suitors you bring home. _

_ ...at least it seems to have some effect on my ‘Lord’ still. _

_ Wishing you only the best, _

_ Severus _

_ P.S. Ginevra found out I was writing this and demanded I include a bunch of other letters as well. _

Lena set the first page aside, reading over a letter from Blaise, the handwriting as distinctive to her as her own.

_ Lena, _

_ I know that it’s too soon to come back now and that you’re doing your own thing traveling, but I wanted to let you know that my mother is going to spend a while in Italy this summer and would be more than willing to have a visitor as the family home there really is horribly big when she’s alone… _

_ Either way, the whole house misses you and Cedric was a bit put out when I had told him and Adrian you hadn’t returned yet, though I know that you’ll come back for our seventh year (you have to) and he’ll be able to give you his regards then and tell you about his engagement (See? Now you have to come back). _

_ Anyway, we got a new defense teacher named Mr. Gaunt- and though he’s a bit intense, he’s brilliant enough to make up for his strange behavior (sometimes). Ginny likes him (they end up bickering at each other in whispers where no one can hear them) and most of the Slytherins agree that he’s not horrible but I think he’s _<strike>_full of horseshit _ </strike> _ … suspicious. _

_ On a different topic, the younger students think you’re some goddess or some mythological being. I blame Theo and his slightly embellished retellings of your fight against the other Heir of Slytherin, setting that acromantula on fire, or how you ‘seduced’ a Zouwu… _

_ Also, I should mention- there is a lot of change in the Ministry like repealing a bunch of old fashioned laws about creatures and areas of magical study… Perhaps the Dark Lord finally found where he left his brain. _

_ I hope you’re doing well. _

_ Zucchini. _

Humming she set that letter aside on top of Severus’, looking at the next that was from Ginny.

_ Hey Mom. _

_ Blaise said that I shouldn’t call you that because I was being ‘impressionable to the firsties’ but if Theo can tell them stories of you cutting the head off a manticore and seducing a Zouwu, then I can call you ‘mom’. It’s not like you’re here to tell me off anyway :P _

_ Anyway- Thomas Gaunt, our Defence Professor is amazing and I really think you’ll like him. Like a lot. _

_ We’ve talked once or twice and he’s super great. He’s the Co-Head of House right now along with Snape and hung out with the rest of the house after the Samhain feast. It was a bit awkward because he and Blaise are like water and oil, but the rest of the Court’s presence seemed to smooth things out- after butterbeer was put out everything kind of got a little less awkward at least. Anyway, the point is that he came to sit beside me and asked about my being the new seeker, plus even if he didn’t seem all that interested, he still listened, which was nice of him. _

_ Also- he asked about you! _

_ He saw the chocolate and asked if this was one of the traditions that you’d passed on, as he’d heard of you from other people he knows. Blaise got really growly and stiff, but Daphne stepped in and started to tell him that fact about chocolate being made from the same chemical as your brain in love- B_ _ut he finished her sentence! _

_ And then- get this- he turned to Blaise with a grin and said ‘a dear friend told me that’ and Blaise just FLIPPED! Like got all 'Slytherin King' and ordered him out of the common room! _

_ I thought there was going to be a fight. _ _ (I totally would have been a fly on that wall, I mean both are super hot and- okay I can feel your disapproval already just writing this but come on, Lena, a girl’s gotta get her amusement somewhere!) _

_ Anyway, we girls all miss our house mom. _

_ Love, _

_ Redhead ;) _

Riddle seemed particularly amused at Ginny’s letter, his voice fond when she touched the locket gently. _ “I forgot how much I approve of your redheaded friend. She is quite amusing.” _

_ I can’t believe she’s practically encouraging Blaise to get into a fight with a teacher- and speaking of which, why was Zucchini so upset anyway? _

_ “Perhaps he feels threatened. Having a stronger, better-looking, more successful figure around that knows more than him must have rubbed his feathers the wrong way… though it will have to be something he gets used to.” _

Lena raised an eyebrow at that.

_ I thought you liked Blaise. _

Riddle hummed. _ “Only when he makes you laugh. The rest of the time I am… indifferent.” _

_ You don’t sound too indifferent. Plus, I don’t remember Gaunt being all that attractive… though I guess Ginny has a different taste in guys than I do. _

_ “Oh?” _ Riddle’s voice turned sugar sweet as if trying to sound innocent even if they both knew he wasn’t anywhere close. _ “...and what ‘taste’ would that be?” _

Her lips tilted up as she set aside the letter.

_ Bodiless, but with a very lovely voice that I could listen to for the rest of my life and arms that feel like beams of sunshine against my skin that I would let me hold me forever. _

_ “You make me blush, my dear.” _

_ You’re physically unable to blush, darling... but you’re welcome. _

Her smile was small and fondly amused as she touched the locket around her neck, folding the letters back up carefully before looking back up at Wednesday. “Thank you for getting these to me- it means a lot.”

With a small nod, the girl put a hand on her shoulder lightly for a moment before moving past her, voice soft. “Always for family.”

Lena held the letters close for a long moment.

Right.

Anything for family.

After the first letter, she found herself more willing to write a second, the words easier. 

**Dearest Tom, **

**Currently, I am on a bus from a terminal in New York that will take us to Ilvermorny, which Wednesday has told me I am not legally allowed to reveal the location of. As it is, I am having to levitate both pen and parchment, dictating this by careful thought because of the jerky high-speed movements of this death trap. Though it’s actually quite enjoyable and Wednesdays devolved into cackling madly just a moment ago, which is making me smile, as the older lady on the bus near us is looking at her as if she’s mad.**

**It’s freeing to throw my head back and laugh with her- she does that, makes me feel like I’m soaring so high above all my worries and fears I might never come down, but there’s something about her that I know could be dangerous in large portions. We weren’t made to fit like you and I were- her sharp edges dig into mine and though sometimes that feels nice like putting ice on a burn, eventually the ice will start to hurt because it’s naturally so cold.**

**...she’s looking over my shoulder and telling me that you make me write like a lovesick sexually-repressed teenager from the 1800s. **

**Which is personally so offensive that I’m going to end this letter here. (Along with the fact that I apparently have to get off the bus and walk a mile or something ridiculous like that.)**

**As always,**

**Your Lena.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A mix of fluff and angst *kisses fingers* A masterpiece.  
😘 Have a wonderful end of your year, Amy ❤  
And that goes for the rest of you lovelies- don't make me frown at you for not taking care of yourselves and remember that I think that you're all amazing and I know Lena would adore each and every single one of you, because as long as you have a story, she'd hella sit with you and share some chocolate (even if you just told her about your frog that you named Jameson the Hopping Puke-Blob because you were a very odd child).


	57. Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Massachusetts

Kylie and Antonia, she’d come to learn over the last few days, were sort of like the Hufflepuff versions of Pugsley and Wednesday- Antonia was quieter and stuck more to the background whereas Kylie was more than willing to take to the front of the metaphorical stage. And somehow, despite not really wanting to be part of the chaos Wednesday and Kylie got into, she couldn’t help herself from joining in. 

Maybe it was how they made her feel, with so much energy that she felt as if she was invincible when she let them lead- or maybe she was just glad to have people around that weren’t so sad all the time. She could be sad enough for everyone- she wanted to feel _alive. _

Stepping off the bus they’d taken after Wednesday, still folding away her letter to her Tom, she frowned at Wednesday. “I do not write like that!”

“You do! All your letters are like ‘oh my darling Thomas I am so alone and wish that you would be here with me so we could hold hands.’” Wednesday gasped dramatically behind her hand, then hiding her face. “Oh no, don’t look at me, my ankle’s uncovered! Oh, Thomas, you’re so naughty!”

_ “I’m painfully amused, just to let you know.” _

_ Oh hush, they’re nothing like that. _

Antonia giggled behind her hand softly as she gave Wednesday a death-glare, Pugsley snorting softly.

“I think they’re sweet.” Kylie gave her a bright grin, tying her long coppery hair up in a ribbon as she took up her bags, being the last out of the bus. “Sort of tragic, like Romeo and Juliet, but sweet none-the-less.”

Wednesday scoffed. “Romeo was stupid- I mean, why not just wait for a second and grieve or something? If he’d sat there being a mess for a moment longer, it might have saved them both a whole lot of trouble- _ idiot_.”

Antonia snorted at that. “Oh- did you hear they’re making a movie about that? I heard it’s supposed to be an American version.”

“What, do they have guns instead of swords?” 

“Yeah- how’d you know?” The girl looked at her with a grin, making her laugh softly and shake her head. 

The small bus stop with its run-down overhang and a bench that was growing vines was almost overrun with busses, a line of the single-story automobiles letting off kids that then started to pour onto a paved path that looked like it just headed into the woods, bending into the trees. They moved off to the side, leaning against the run-down overhang as Antonia informed her that they were waiting for the others, Kylie and Wednesday poking at a spider hanging from the corner of the overhang.

Lena hummed in return to Antonia, unwilling to go anywhere near that ugly red spider no matter how fascinated Wednesday seemed, keeping one eye on the two troublemakers as she also watched the crowds of people. 

_ “That spider is quite an alarming shade of red.” _

_ That is the reason I’m staying over here. _

_ “Lena Farland? Being rational in regards to her own safety? When did this happen?” _ Riddle chuckled when she pouted, the locket pulsing in humor. _ “Kidding, dearest. I adore you- self-preservation or not.” _

She rolled her eyes slightly, even if her hand came up to brush against the locket. “So... there are houses? What houses are you in?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Pugsley’s voice was dark. “They’re nothing more than a formality- a place to sleep- no one follows them anyway.”

Remembering what had been said about the houses being based on stolen Native American culture, she hummed softly and watched the students as they instinctively found small groups or others that seemed to look like them before starting down the path. “It’s nice that there’s not as much division between the houses.”

There was a snort from behind her and Wednesday moved over, holding a stick with the alarmingly big spider on it, holding it out to Pugsley. “Cool, right?”

“It’s venomous.”

“So? He’ll still eat it.” The girl raised her eyebrows, setting the stick on the ground.

With a sigh, Pugsley reached into his pocket and took out the massive spider that she knew as Karl Marx, setting it down. They all watched as the ugly tarantula loomed over the smaller red spider, biting into it.

Lena made a face, even if she couldn’t look away from the red spider’s legs that slowly stopped twitching as much, sticking out her tongue slightly when it finally fell still.

“Sorry, did I hear you say that there’s ‘not as much division’? In a high school?” Wednesday turned on her with a grin. “Oh, Lena, you have much to learn. Instead of whatever mind, soul, body, heart the houses are supposed to be based on, us teenagers have divided ourselves much more accurately to our character.”

She raised an eyebrow.

Kylie grinned, leaning on her shoulder and pointed to a group of boys that all looked as if they were expecting summer in athletic shorts with backpacks slung over their shoulders halfheartedly, some wearing sweatpants that rode a bit too low on their waists as they all guffawed loudly, a few obviously eyeing the girls that walked past. “Those are the jocks. Quidditch, Football, and Baseball mostly- they’re full of testosterone and the inability to show weakness, filling the holes in their personalities with misogyny and aggressive pride. There are a few that are actually genuinely good people, but we avoid them because they’re more trouble than they’re worth as a group unless you’re like them.”

“Then there’s the nerds.” Wednesday nodded to where a group was talking animatedly, their appearances not unappealing but without care, focused more on whatever they were talking about. They were mostly awkward boys with unkempt hair and a few girls with braids that looked like they’d taken on the outward appearance of middle-aged moms. “They’re actually pretty cool, but you have to be good at whatever they’re talking about because they’re liable to lose you halfway through a conversation bringing up some random obscure theory and then become irritated you don’t know it. They hate explaining themselves and can be really a pain to try to hold conversations with, so we mostly leave them to themselves.”

She hummed. 

_ Sounds like a few of the Ravenclaws. Or Granger, for that matter. _

_ “Yes, I have definitely known a few people like that in my time.” _

Antonia motioned to a group, waving slightly and getting a few waves back from the group that seemed to all have a different aesthetic, though they all seemed to have a million buttons and colors and patches on their jackets. “They’re the geeks- they tend to come as a group even if they’re really different from each other, each one having different interests in things that sometimes overlap, though the reason they stick together instead of finding other groups is that they’re crazy about those things- like really, they’ll start screaming matches over someone insulting whatever they're into. They’re pretty cool and nice to talk to occasionally, but they tend to always drag whatever they’re obsessed over into the conversation eventually, and then they just get irritated when you don’t know- like the nerds, except over obscure manga that is only sold in Japan.”

“Huh.” She smiled faintly. “Yeah, I wouldn’t have the first clue about that.”

“Not a lot of us do, don’t worry about it.”

There was a loud noise and then a girl with deep blood-red hair was chasing after a boy that sort of reminded her of Cedric, the girl yelling at the boy about ‘betrayal’ or something as she tried to hit the boy.

Kylie snorted. “Perfect example of two divas in their natural habitat. They’re pretty okay too, but they always have to have some sort of gossip or drama, so it’s pretty tiring to put up with them. They’re the theater kids, choir kids, the attention-seekers- they’re also pretty judgemental and think that they walk on rose petals- that they’re going to be the next ‘big superstar’, so unless you have questions about Shakespeare or something, just… let them have the attention, it’s not worth it.”

Antonia bumped shoulders with her twin. “You’re just upset because you were in the choir for three years and Mr. Hollen never gave anyone but that bitch _ Avery _solos.”

“I _carried_ the sopranos! I was the only one in that whole class that could sight-read and she gets the solos- of course, I’m upset!”

Wednesday chuckled at that, shaking her head before nodding to another group, this one of lean boys and girls that looked like they were able to snap her in half, one girl with short spiky hair catching their eyes and winking with a grin. The girl at Lena’s side flipped the girl off, earning them a wider grin. “Those are the half-jocks. They’re a newer breed- a mix of jocks and nerds that tend to be good at school and get good grades as well as being into sports like softball, basketball, soccer, cheerleading, track, etcetera. They’re all either so straight they don’t have a gaydar or aggressively bisexual- there’s no in-between- but they’re alright as long as you’re chill.”

Lena looked at the girl. “I think that girl was making eyes at you.”

“She’s a nuisance- one time we made out under the bleachers and she suddenly thinks she’s the lesbian messiah.”

“She has nice thighs.” 

Wednesday made a soft ‘ugh’ sound. “Yeah, yeah, she really does...” When Lena laughed at that, the girl shoved at her softly. “You’re a menace, Farland.”

The busses seemed to dwindle, though a girl with warm umber-colored skin that reminded her of Perenelle with her high cheekbones and intricately braided hair stepped from one of the last busses with a smaller guy at her side who was wearing a sweater vest with glasses that reminded her of a mix between Theo and Charlie, waving his hand as he talked about something with the girl who seemed like an opposite of his casual academic look in her tall black boots and bright red eyeliner.

_ Aphrodite would love her. _

_ “She’s quite pretty, yes… though I still think you are the loveliest person I will ever see, even compared to Aphrodite herself.” _

_ Don’t let her hear that. _

Smiling faintly, she watched the two head their way, though a blonde girl that was wearing bright pink and had a grin that was almost blinding ran at them, throwing herself at Wednesday. “WEDNESDAY! I MISSED YOU!”

“Hey, Cindy.” The girl patted the taller girl’s head, smiling faintly. “I see Vince is enthralling Imani with one of his stories- where’s Lowan?”

The girl pulled back, looking at where an expensive-looking car had pulled up behind the line of busses. “Oh, gosh- he got stuck with my parents! Kylie, we need an extraction, _ stat_!” With a laugh, the girl pulled Kylie away, both running to the car.

Wednesday grinned at her. “Cindy’s brother’s part of one of the last three groups- What we call ‘New Blood’ because they’re new money and tend to like their flashy clothes, sports cars, and designer clothes.” She nodded to where Kylie and Cindy were with a tall boy with bronze skin who looked painfully unamused with everything, the two girls smiling and talking to a boy with quaffed hair and artfully worn jeans. “They’re stuck up idiots who think everyone not wealthy are idiot peasants, same with the 'Blue Blood' or old money, but the Blue Bloods usually are the first people on campus because they usually have special passes to floo directly into the school."

The girl she assumed was Imani grinned at Wednesday in a flash of startlingly white teeth. “Educating the new meat about the cliques?”

“You must be Lena?” The boy with the messy hair and inquisitive eyes grinned at her awkwardly. “I’m Vince.”

“Nice to meet you, Vince.” Shaking his hand and feeling only light warmth, like a soft blanket, she looked at the taller girl with the piercing brown eyes that reminded her of coffee grounds, dark and lovely. “And you’re Imani? Sorry if I was staring, you remind me of Perenelle Flamel, my mentor and honorary grandmother.”

With a low chuckle, the girl took her hand, skin tingly but comfortable. “You’re so telling me that story later.” Then pulling back, she put an arm around Vince’s shoulders and started to walk towards the path. “Come on, wilds- we’re going to be late!”

Antonia smiled at her faintly. “That’s the last group. We’re the ‘wilds’ because we could all fit in the other groups and yet chose not to- wild magic, and all.” 

Kylie and Cindy dragged the boy that must have been ‘Lowan’ over, Kylie talking to Vince animatedly while Lowan and Imani murmured to each other while glancing at her. Antonia gave her a small smile before moving to Pugsley’s side where the boy was talking to Cindy, Antonia saying something to Wednesday before hugging Vince and grinning at Lowan.

_ A cult. ...I joined a cult. _

Riddle’s laughter was rich and echoing. _ “Darling, at least you didn’t start one- plus they say that acceptance is the first step to recovery.” _

_ Yeah, I don’t think I can recover from this… but at least I have you. _

Staying where she’d been for a moment, Lena looked at the rusted bus stop and sighed faintly, picking up her trunk and shrinking it wandlessly.

“I was just about to ask if you needed a hand, but it looks like you got it yourself.” The tall boy that the others had been talking to earlier (Cindy's brother?) moved to her side, smiling charmingly. “You were with the Addams, right? You live near them or something- I haven’t seen you around?”

Starting to walk down the path after the others, a few kids lingering behind them with friends though most had already gone to wherever the path was taking them, she shook her head idly. Her smile was faint as she supplied the background they’d given her to use when at the school. “Er, no, I’m their cousin, Lena Addams. I’m visiting for a few months and thought it would be interesting to see what their school is like, as I usually go to Hogwarts.” 

“Grant Stevens. You probably saw my younger sister, Cindy, as she hangs out with them.” The boy tilted his head slightly, eyes looking her over as if appraising. “So, Hogwarts- they have a group of freaks just like here?”

Lena looked at the boy, not letting her irritation at the name show on her face. “Freaks?”

Grant snorted harshly, waving a hand at the backs of Wednesday’s group of friends. “I mean, everyone says that all Addams’s are freaks, but you seem reasonable- you know that girl, Imani? I heard she slept with one of the History Professors to get better grades, and don’t get me started on that Colwell guy- did you know his little ‘tribe’ is still trying to sue the school because of some ridiculous claim over an _ animal _?”

Bristling slightly at the sheer ignorance and ingrained racism, she gave the boy a thin smile. “Pretty nice car you showed up in, maybe you-”

“Oh, yeah? You’re a car kind of girl, well it’s a...”

She tuned out the rest of his rant, humming and pretending to sound interested as she instead focused on the castle. 

_ I was about to say he should go drive his fancy car off a cliff, but I guess he’s just unable to take a hint- either way, my brain refuses to hear anything else he says after insulting the heritage of a person I bet he doesn’t even know. _

_ “Yes, well, the facts about his car fills up space where his personality should be- It’s a common occurrence in teenage boys raised on bitterness and privilege.” _

Snorting softly, the boy to her side grinned. “Oh, you think that’s good? Wait until you hear about-”

_ This is making my brain bleed. _

_ “Poor lovely creature… if I was there, I would stab him in the throat for you, but alas, I’m not.” _

_ Don’t tease me with that idea, I’m trying to be good and not kill anything this year. _

Riddle chuckled softly. _ “You’re always good in my eyes, my dear.” _

_ Your eyesight must be pretty off then, sweetheart. _

Grant was still talking when they got closer to the school that seemed to emerge from the trees, old and sprawling, with buildings that seemed more in a university-style than all grouped like Hogwarts's castle. Stepping through the doors, following everyone else, she paused at an archway before a large area with smaller tables that were spread out around a big open area, a staircase with a banner next to it in each of the corners and a large golden design in the middle of the room with four statues around it.

Looking at the boy that was smirking as he described something about how his family was extremely wealthy, she moved to press her finger to his lips.

He paused, seeming surprised but took her hand after just a blink, smirking. “You know, you’re really pretty, Lena.”

“Ah, you must be Miss Addams?” A man with round glasses that reminded her of Lupin moved forward with a glance between her and the boy holding her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Mr. Addams said that you’d show up with the rest of the students- I’ll take you to be sorted into your house if that’s okay?”

“Give us a second, alright, Mr. Samuel?” The boy’s voice was irritated, looking at her with another of his charming grins. “So, come sit with me, alright? You don’t want to ruin your time here with those-”

Lena hushed him, pulling her hand away. “You know that you can shut your mouth for more than five seconds, yes? It’s a biological evolution that must have skipped half the world’s population, as most of the male race seem to be unable to stop making idiots of themself- just shut up, alright? No one cares what car you drive or what kind of drugs you have in your backpack.”

The teacher spun on the boy, seeming to sharpen at the mention of drugs, and she shoved her hands in her pockets as she slowly stalked away from where the two were now yelling at each other. 

_ “Have I told you that I adore you lately, my love?” _

_ Not since this morning. _

_ “Well, then I think you should know that I adore you.” _

_ I adore you too, you sap. _

Moving to stand on the golden knot design, she saw all the statues moving, turning on her heel smoothly as she looked at the one of the snake. **:I wish to be in your house- I will not lie and try to pretend I am anything but a snake.:**

**:A speaker…:** Twisting, the statue seemed to come alive, baring its fangs at her. **:I claim you, speaker, for the house that has long branched from your family’s line.:**

Dipping her head with a sharp grin, she moved to the table and dropped down to sit next to Wednesday. “I heard this was the ‘freak’ table and came to submit an application to join.”

“Hell, anyone who can get Grant in trouble is good in my books!” Vince grinned at her.

Wednesday looked around the group then turned to her, eyes sparkling as she smiled at Lena. “Welcome home. How was your walk?”

The tension seemed to ease when she snorted. “Leave me to the idiots like that ever again and I’ll put a snake in your pillow.” When that got the group to laugh, she was pulled into discussing classes, as she’d have to meet with the head of ‘Horned Serpent’ after dinner.

Lena had never found the color white so offensive.

She was taking History, Transfiguration, Herbology, and Astronomy all at the NEWT level, but she’d needed another class to replace Potions (because she had her mastery already, much to the professor’s surprise) and heard Kylie talking about art, so she’d foolishly put it down. 

Hence why she was staring at a white canvas.

Because the teacher had told the class to paint something based on either fear or love and she didn’t know what to do- because both were something private, something she held close to her chest.

Lena had oil paints, colors all at the ready and everything, but she could do nothing but stare at her empty canvas in quiet turmoil. She sighed for the third time in ten minutes before turning to Kylie. “Give me your hand.”

With just a glance, Kylie stuck her left hand out without complaint- or even really looking away from her project, though she did glance over when Lena started to paint on her skin before just looking back at her charcoal drawing.

She just focused on painting blood-red roses on the girl’s fair skin.

“Everything alright, Miss Addams?” After a beat, the woman with the curled hair and fake smile leaned over to look at her with imploring eyes. “Miss Addams?”

Looking up, realizing the woman was talking to her, she blinked before plastering on her own fake smile. “Apologies. Yes, I am alright.”

Professor Simmons, the art teacher and resident _ bitch_, gave a meaningful look to her canvas. “And how can you be alright, Miss Addams, when you have been staring at the empty space of your project for the last hour?”

“Well the project is based on fear, isn’t it?” Her chin raised stubbornly, pushed to defend her sudden inability to do a simple painting. “Perhaps I fear emptiness or the long history of cruelty associated with the color ‘white’.”

Imani chuckled from the other side of Kylie when the teacher made a face like a gaping goldfish.

“Well I-” Narrowing her eyes, the woman put her hands on her hips. “You have to put something on the canvas, Addams, or- or I’ll fail you!”

“Noted.” Rolling her eyes when the woman huffed and stalked away, she just looked back at Kylie’s arm. 

Wednesday’s voice from her other side was amused. “You know you’re going to have to explain your project at the end of block period and a blank canvas is going to be hard to bullshit around.”

“It’s blank because I have no soul.”

Imani snorted from where she was standing at her easel, leaning forward around Kylie to catch her eyes. “Wanna share what’s bothering you, Lena?”

“That woman.” Her scowl was dark. “_She _ bothers me.”

Shaking her head, the girl just went back to her own project, clearly not willing to deal with Lena’s steadily worsening mood.

Riddle hummed softly, having been letting her stew on her own after she’d snapped at him last he tried to suggest something to paint, his voice soft. _ “Darling… I know that I am probably not the one you want to hear this from, but it’s okay.” _

_ Be clearer. What’s okay? Because I have half a mind to go straight to my head of house and drop this farce of a ‘class’. _

_ “It’s okay if your fears or desires are irrational to your logical mind. They don’t have to be rational for them to be valid. I would never judge you for whatever seems to be bothering you so much.” _

Putting her hand up to her face to pinch the bridge of her nose, she sighed slightly, voice a murmur. “…thanks.” A hand curled around her locket, as she took a deep breath and looked back up at the canvas.

“Just paint Tom or something.” Wednesday’s voice was a mutter around the brush in her mouth as she seemed to be trying to correct something by poking her canvas.

Lena looked at the girl incredulously. “What are you implying- that I love him or that I fear him because both are just a shade away from being treasonous and speaking of such is illegal- punishable by death.”

Riddle snorted._ “Dramatic. We both know you love me.” _

_ Hush, darling, I am trying to interrogate my friend. _

“Either.” Wednesday just shrugged as she took the brush out of her mouth so she could grin at Lena. “You’re afraid _ because _you’re in love with him.”

She pointed her own brush at Wednesday like it was a spear, eyes narrowed. “No more talking for you. That’s enough digging around in my head for today, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” The girl’s voice was bland, Kylie and Imani giggling softly.

_ Don’t listen to her. _

_ “Listen to who?” _Riddle was still smiling, nonetheless.

_ Exactly. _

Hesitantly, she stole one of Kylie’s charcoals.

When next Miss Simmons walked past with crossed arms, the woman took a moment to stare at her canvas but didn’t say a word as she moved on.

At the end of class when the group was called to show off their work, she looked at the others' works curiously. Imani proudly revealed a portrait of her grandmother, Wednesday showed off a very architecturally correct drawing of the Addams manor, while Kylie had drawn a charcoal sketch that seemed to be her sister facing away from her on the beach.

The teacher turned to her. “And Miss Addams? Your piece?”

_ “This should be good.” _

Eyes unable to look at her friends, she moved to put her canvas on the easel at the front of the room, not sure how to explain what it meant- a male figure outlined in the black charcoal she’d stolen from Kylie, except the face was obscured in a mess of black as if someone had smudged messily over that part of the sketch (of which she did). “This is… both love and fear. My own personalized nightmare, one could say.”

_ “Ouch. Low blow. And here I thought you liked the dreams we shared.” _

_ I do like your hugs... so I suppose they were okay. _

_ “I am wounded.” _

Professor Simmons nodded slowly. “I assume you had a reference- why not show their face? Was that a sign of embarrassment or part of your fear related to this boy, your lover?”

Lena felt her face heat. “He’s not- he’s not my lover, we’re just friends.”

“So this is an unrequited love?”

“No!” Shifting her weight, she pursed her lips against her embarrassment. “Or, well, I… We’re childhood friends and we haven’t seen each other for a long time- Can I sit down now?”

The woman raised her eyebrows. “So you were painting this from memory?”

“That- Yes. I was.”

Humming, the woman leaned forward. “The muscle tone and frame of the subject portrays an older boy- yet you say this is from memory and that you haven’t seen this person for a long time… how attached you must have been to this older boy to have memorized the bare plains of his chest- did he know you were doing such things?”

Riddle hissed a few choice words at the woman’s words.

Drawing on the ice within her for composure as her temper flared, crossing her arms as she spread her feet just slightly. “I’m sorry- do you have an issue with me? I was working off a reference of a picture that my _friend _sent me just a few months ago that I have in my head because I have _good occlumency skills_. Now, please, if you wish to accuse me of something then perhaps we should take this to the Headmaster’s office.”

Professor Simmons blanched slightly. “Ah, no no, no need for that, Miss Addams. Please sit down.”

Taking her canvas, she stalked back to her seat, scowling once more.

Kylie reached out to put a hand to her shoulder gently with a small smile. “I like your drawing. And my arm. Thanks.”

She nodded, actually very proud of the roses winding through the girl's knuckles and up her arm, the red like blood against the fair skin. 

Wednesday bumped her shoulder as she got up to put away her supplies. “It’s nice.”

Lena snorted softly. “I like some of the drawings in my sketchbook more, but it had a sort of… abstract charm to it, I guess.” Shaking her head, she followed the girl to wash the charcoal off her hands at the back of the classroom. “Is that woman always like this?”

“Pretty much. There’s a rumor she hates pretty faces- especially couples and anyone that seems happier than her.” Wednesday smirked at her. “Not that it’s hard to be. I mean, you made that list and you’re the saddest person I know.”

Bumping her hip against the girl, she huffed softly. “Be nice.”

“I don’t know what that means- I’m an Addams.” With a grin, the girl padded back to the table.

_ “Why did you block out my face?” _

_ Other than not wanting anyone else to see you? _

Riddle was smiling, she could tell. _ “You talk sweet, but I know you and you’ve never been shy about sharing my image with people, outside your sketchbook of course, and as long as they’re not complete strangers. So? Spill.” _

_ You saw the original. It came out much too… intimate. _

_ “Ah, yes, the way you drew me was supposed to be me looking up at the sky and yet looked startlingly like I had my head thrown back in pleasure.” _ His voice was amused. _ “Startlingly accurate, really, you’ve gotten quite good at drawing my likeness to a point you’re able to draw an expression I’m almost completely sure you’ve never seen.” _

Lena’s face was hot again, moving to grab her bag and follow the other girls to their next class. 

_ Quiet. I was just… improvising. _

_ “What an interesting use of your imagination.” _ When she didn’t answer, flushing and ignoring him, he chuckled softly and relented from his teasing. _ “Though I am curious why you said fear played a part in my visage. What do you have to fear from me when I am unable to hurt you, lest I hate myself for the rest of time?” _

Rubbing at her face, she ducked into the closest girl’s bathroom so she could look in the mirror. “Not you, exactly, but… well... Voldemort. I fear him not because he is altogether fearful, but because of what he symbolizes- my death.” Her voice was barely audible, looking away from the mirror once more as she leaned against it. “...do you still think all my irrational fears are valid?”

_ “I think… that you have been led to believe over time that Voldemort is far more dangerous and fearful than what I see him as.” _

Nodding slightly, she leaned down to splash some water on her face before re-doing her bun. “How cruel Fate is, to make death so fearful with the knowledge that no matter how fast we run, we will always end up back in its arms.” 

“Perhaps that’s because it’s where we know subconsciously we belong in the end.” Wednesday moved to lean against the sink next to her. “...we have History soon.”

Looking over at the girl, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed, taking a moment before she had an idea. “What happens… if we skip?”

The girl smiled at her, eyes glinting with something akin to a dare. “We get to hang out with Vince and Cindy- though I have to warn you, they tend to get into trouble when bored.”

Looking in the mirror and seeing only the way she knew her eyes would dull and her skin would grow pale when she died, Lena turned away from that sight with a nod. “Yeah- uh- I think I might need some trouble. Sounds fun.”

_ “May I suggest that this isn’t a good idea?” _

_ Do you really think that’s going to stop me from doing it anyway? _

Riddle huffed softly. _ “No, I’m mostly just saying it so I can say ‘I told you so’ later.” _

_ I appreciate you too, you sap. _

Wednesday took her hand. “Well then… let’s go on an adventure, shall we?”

**Dearest Tom,**

**I got in trouble.**

**...perhaps I should start from the beginning. First of all, I wish to tell you that I am not a rash person usually and if I am, then I make sure that I can deal with what I am up against. However, I have never tried my hand at getting so drunk that I couldn’t walk without stumbling before deciding to sit in a metal trolley (aka shopping cart) and ride it down the long section of roof that slopes down from the tallest point of the West wing and curves enough that I was able to make it into the lake.**

**I have regrets.**

**Though probably not as many as I should, as really the only reason I got in trouble was that I was drunk- not for the way that I definitely scared the pants off the Herbology class as I screamed like a screech owl as I flew from the roof into the lake, nor for the way that I was on the roof in the first place. **

**It probably will not surprise you to know that it was Wednesday’s idea. **

**And that your other self- the locket- yelled at me for two hours in a full-on rant that was an upset mix of languages and accents once I sobered up enough to stop giggling at inopportune times.**

**(The cockney accent that he slipped into partway through his rant was my favorite though. Other than the curses in Russian- I have a great appreciation now for hearing you speak in other languages, though I am never telling Riddle that or he will wield far too much power.) **

**((He has more than he should over me already, give my heart a break.)) **

**...**

**Speaking of getting in trouble-**

**My apologies, I had to work on an assignment and then got distracted and realized that I had not finished this correspondence to you- it’s been a few days and if the paper is a bit off-colored at the bottom it is because Antonia accidentally spilled some coffee on it.**

**Anyway. **

**I learned why Imani is so protective of Vince.**

**I mean, don’t mistake me, Vince reminds me of a weird mix of Theodore and Ginny where he’s incredibly knowledge-motivated while having the temper of a feral raccoon and I appreciate his existence on the basis that he’s adorable- but I never really understood why Imani was so ** ** _hovery _ ** **over him. Not that he ever seemed to mind, as they’re always holding hands and being adorable in a way that makes me think they’re reincarnations of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, but it just never…. clicked.**

**Until Chris had to decide to pick on him.**

**I realize now that I have neglected to mention Christopher until now, but that is probably because he is- as Lowan often states in his deadpan timber- an utter waste of the nine months of suffering it took a woman to produce him.**

**Either way, Chris takes special pleasure in being an absolute menace to society, though he has fallen into a routine of either causing Riddle to plot his death by being crass in his flirting with me or taunting Vince about his ‘manliness’. Occasionally he will say the snide comment to the Owens twins or Lowan, but he seems to know better than to endanger his life by starting something with Wednesday and Pugsley (or to bring out combined wrath down upon him for upsetting Cindy). When Wednesday explained that he does it to get a rise out of us, I was content to sit back and just ignore it as the others do, but he crossed a line I hadn’t known even existed. **

**Hence the realization about Vince. **

**And the trouble.**

**It went like this: Chris got into Vince’s face after the mandatory exercise class all students are required to participate in, as our team beat his team at Volleyball and he apparently took that as a personal offense. ** ** _Men_****. Anyway. While he was verbally sparring with Vince who was egging him on (just like Ginny would), he used a female name in the span of one of his sentences and Vince just went… feral.**

**Imani and Cindy grabbed him, Antonia hexing Chris as we all sort of retreated. Naturally, I was a bit thrown, as I wasn’t sure what had happened, but Wednesday pulled me aside to explain that Vince was born with female genitalia though he had taken steps to alter his body (in a safe medi-witch approved way) so it was more comfortable to him over the years. **

**I’m a bit sure Wednesday thought that I would be more thrown by that, but I regularly cuddle with a spirit that lives in a locket. Vince is still Vince to me, and he’s always going to be a mix of awe-inspiring and terrifying, especially when he mixes coffee and energy drinks at 8 AM before morning classes. Truly, if he can survive such a thing, I have no right to try to tell him who he should be.**

**But Vince’s habits as a growing cryptid aside, I dislocated Chris’s jaw in the courtyard after Herbology because he made my friend cry.**

**Detention never felt so righteously freeing. **

**(...perhaps we should just agree never to tell Severus anything I did whilst in America and call it a day.)**

**I hope that something in these stories of my time as a teenage delinquent makes you smile. You have a lovely smile and I can only hope you’ll never stop trying to feel alive- just, if you need suggestions, don’t look at Wednesday. **

**Your Lena ♥**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Me, doing grabby hands:** give comment? seratonin?  
**My brain, whacking me with a wooden spoon like an old Russian grandmother who just baked pie:** _NO_  
...I hope you liked the chapter ^-^

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Elixir](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22578874) by [i_crave_sleep_and_chocolate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_crave_sleep_and_chocolate/pseuds/i_crave_sleep_and_chocolate)
  * [If Things Should Change.....](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26138608) by [MadSha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadSha/pseuds/MadSha)


End file.
